#i’ve not finished it yet but the lore?? intriguing

[lustlovehart]

Hiiii!!! I really enjoy your TWST monster AU! It’s very interesting!!!

Very sorry if you’ve already touched on this but I just have a few questions regarding monster Leona which refuse to leave my brain!

How does he appear? He’s a mummy, right? And he’s covered in bandages which I assume cover his face as well. Yet in Leona’s section in the info list about the monsters, reader describes him as ‘handsome’, so I’m just trying to get an idea of how wrapped up in his bandages he is.

I’m also wondering if he was a former mortal or a ‘natural’ monster. In your recent cooking ask, you listed out which of the boys know how to cook because they were former humans and Leona wasn’t listed, Generally, mummies are undead which were former mortals in life so I was surprised not to see him. Of course, the other possibility I immediately thought of was he didn’t need to know how to cook because he’s royalty.

(There’s this scenario I’ve been playing with in my head where reader finds an old picture of Leona when he was alive and proudly shows it to him, saying that now they finally know how they look like underneath all those bandages.)

Final obscure pondering, but do you have any plans on introducing Farena into the lore? Would he be mortal or undead or just plain dead, possibly for a long while now?

Sorry for the messy ask! I’m just very intrigued by this AU! Feel free to ignore if it’s a bother!!!

>:) I actually just finished a drawing for Mummy Leona that I’m gonna release soon! I like to think Leona typically is covered in bandaged, but keeps his mouth uncovered to talk to you specifically! He just assumes Ruggie can understand him so he doesn't bother, but when it’s you he’d like to have meaningful conversation without you repeating “What?” 3x. Though, he does occasionally removed the bandaged from his face entirely. I like to think Mh!Reader finds his aura handsome, but then him showing off his face just solidifies their opinion orz.

He is a former human! And you were entirely right Lmao. I was gonna add him in but then I remembered he probably didn’t have to cook for himself so he’s not to good at it which is why he wasn't added. I also like to think he’s much much older than the other former human monsters so, perhaps he simply just, dozens;t remember how to cook.

I love the scenario! Even when Leona shows off his face, it’s a bit hollowed out than when he was a human. So, when you find the picture and show it him like a shiny new trophy, he just scoffs at you ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎. If you mention he looks really really handsome, he’ll either be silent for a moment from embarrassment or maybe saddened! It depends on what way you want it to go.

Leona and Farenas history will be revealed in Savanaclaw chapter, butor the most part he’s dead 😔 (For Leona pain oTL)

Never worry about Messy asks! I love getting them <3

[dalishious]

Veilguard Companion First Impressions

So, I’ve finally recruited all the companions for the Veilguard! And as such, I thought I’d share my initial thoughts on them each.

Please keep in mind that as the title says, these are just my first impressions. I am nowhere near finishing the game yet. My thoughts very well may change after getting to know the characters more as the story progresses. Also, please do not take any opinions you do not share as a personal attack against you.

Bellara

Bellara might be my #1 favourite.

I’ve seen some people just say Bellara is “a Merrill rip-off” but I don’t think that’s fair at all. If all it took was a few similarities to say a character is a rip-off of another character, than I can think of so many boring white cishet male characters who would be guilty of that. But heaven forbid we get more than one elven woman who is passionate about her people’s culture and history!

Frankly, I think Bellara is a breath of fresh air in terms of Dalish characters specifically. Finally, a Dalish elf who isn’t punished for being proudly Dalish by the narrative.

I also really appreciate that so much of her can be easily understood by her backstory, too. Like, her feelings of never being good enough is reflective of the very realistic grief she is experiencing.

Lucanis

If Bellara isn’t my #1 favourite, then Lucanis is. They really both dominate that spot neck in neck. I can’t decide if I want to put him in a jar and shake it to see what happens, or wrap him up tight in a quilt and give him some good coffee.

I’m just a sucker for Lucanis’s character archetype, is the thing. I love taking him out simply because he’s so much fun to have around. And in terms of companion arcs, his is the one I am most intrigued to see where it goes.

Taash

(While I haven’t personally gotten to Taash’s non-binary plot yet, I am aware Taash switches to they/them pronouns, so that’s what I’ll be using.)

The moment I met Taash felt my heart skip a beat. The only thing hotter than their appearance is their voice. I know BioWare probably left Taash out of a lot of the advertising because they wanted to keep Taash’s gender stuff a surprise, but oh my god, because of this I was taken by quite the surprise. And so far Taash seems to be the type to keep a hard outer shell to protect a much softer side, and that is yet another character archetype I really love.

Davrin

My initial gripe about Davrin’s writing being so exclusively about Assan rather than Davrin himself is slowly peeling away, I hope. While I still think its bullshit that you can welcome Assan into the Veilgaurd but not Davrin, at least I’ve finally gotten a few bits of dialogue to get to know more about him finally. I just want to keep this momentum! Because Davrin as a concept has so much potential, in my opinion, and what little bits I have gotten from him have captivated me. But I can’t tell yet if it’s intentionally part of his character that maybe he’s just a closed off person who takes a while to trust others, (a little like Taash?) Or if the writer just cared more about griffons than the actual guy. I’m really, really holding out hope for the former.

Emmrich

Emmrich is so much more charming than I expected, and I found him instantly endearing the moment we met him. I also really like that we’re finally hearing some different stances and insight on death and necromancy than we ever had before from a companion! It makes him feel so fresh and completely new!

Harding

I’ll be real with you: I was not anticipating caring about Harding so much. She was who I was originally least interested in, when the companion line-up was announced. But the direction they’re taking her in has me questioning so much about bigger lore questions.

Unfortunately, I still don’t see much in her except being a vessel for those bigger lore questions, though. Like, Harding as a person has me mildly curious at best.

Neve

I’m really sorry Neve fans, but I just find her really boring so far, in comparison to everyone else. She doesn’t have a lot going on, and what she does have going on, doesn’t really captivate me much. Maybe I was just hoping she’d have stronger stances on things than she does? I don’t know.

It could be that I just really fucked up with Neve, and it won’t be until another playthrough that I’ll get to experience more that will change my mind. Because I will admit I am very good at picking choices she disapproves of, with my first Rook.

[anime-grimmy-art]

It’s this time of the year again, folks. Time to wrap up the art Ive made in the last 12 months in another Year in Review! I’ve noticed that this is my fifth Year in Review in a row, so I’ll be making an extra post looking back on the progress in those last 5 years!

I've got a lot to say about this year, but purely art wise, I've gone all when it comes to comics, damn! I've kinda found a format that is messy, and therefore more time efficient, yet still looks good. I even made 2 animatics and lotsa shorts/reels! All that on top of opening coms twice, and, oh yeah, MAKING A WHOLE ASS 4MIN ANIMATION ON MY OWN.

How is my hand still alive.

2023 has been….interesting, to say the least. The first half year I was working on my thesis project, aka making an animated short all on my own (in the art department), which makes it honestly surprising how much I managed to churn out between animating. Trigun rly did have me in a choke hold.

Summer was a bit more spotty, esp. with me not being able to draw anything during August as I was writing my thesis (and doing commissions). And towards the end of the year, Kingdom Hearts tried to save me, but alas, Genshin Impact has finally sunk its teeth into me and dragged me to the bottom of the rabbit hole. It all started with me watching a story summary and lore videos while I was sick after my thesis and I was too intrigued to not dig deeper and well, first I fell in love with Kaeya and then the ships started dropping in left and right.

I’m not gonna lie, the last few months have been weird. I finished my masters in October, and have been on job hunt since, sadly without success so far. I’m existing in this weird limbo of still not grasping I’m not a student anymore after 18 years in education, not really being able to accept I’m an adult, yet desperately trying to find something so I can make a routine, cos rn Im too scared to build a rhythm as I know I’ll have a so much harder time readjusting again. It’s left me in a weird emotional state, where most of the time I feel fine, but when it counts, there’s just, nothing. No joy at getting my diploma, no anticipation to finally go to a convention again, neither any sadness hearing my grandfather died. It frustrates me that it extends to my art as well, there’s excitement over ideas and concepts, but no motivation to pick up the pencil, which makes me either not finish art at all or making so many shortcuts and just ending up with sth not satisfactory to me since it’s not the idea I sought after.

Tho, not everything is doom and gloom. I DID finish a whole ass short animation and got my masters degree, that IS sth to be proud of. Also, while Im struggling at drawing, I’ve also kinda started integrating my shortcuts into my style and some stuff I’ve thrown together actually turns out real good nowadays. Also, and this might be a bit of a weird one, I’m so fucking happy to know I can still enjoy gay ships. I’ve been a bit uncertain over the last few years because when I was around 16-18, I had a real big yaoi phase, which mostly came from the fact so much stuff came out that tickled my brain in the right way (Free, Haikyuu, etc.). But over the years, my enthusiasm died down, and I even started to resent some ships because it’s all some fandoms produced. I often found myself liking a hetero ship more than the popular gay ship, which really made me not wanna stick around because I did not care for most fanart and you can only go through a tag with art you don’t care about so long before you lose interest. I think in retrospect that it rly had nothing to do with the ships being gay ships but rather cos the fans just shoved it in your face when you didn’t care (and shipping culture nowadays also can get real scary). But I’m so happy to see I can still get obsessed with a ship and it’s all thanks to Haikaveh/Kavetham. It really just needed the right flavour for me to dig in again. And oh my god, I FINALLY like a ship with a SHIT TON of art and fanfictions, no more scrounging the crumbs from the bottom of the barrel. 

Anyways, enough lamenting. Here’s to hoping I can bite my tongue and get shit started properly in 2024, and that my brainrots may make me obsessed enough to churn out an obscene amount of fanart again.

[crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer]

7, 10, 19, 29 for the fic writer asks!!

Thank youuuuuuu~!! <3

More fic writer asks here~

7. your preferred writing fonts

I used to be a lot more adventurous with fonts as a kid, spending ages comparing them to find one that fit the vibe of the story I was trying to tell. When I wasn’t making Word Art masterpieces, I particularly loved Jokerman for titles and Comic Sans for the body of creative writing projects. And once I started using AIM, there was a period where Helvetica was my favorite. XD

Alas, I grew up with Times New Roman as the default, so for the majority of my academic career I vastly preferred it over any others out of habit more than personal preference. In recent years, I’ve found myself accepting Calibri more (the program I use to write defaults to that one now and I never bothered to change it), but Times New Roman has reentered the rotation since I started making progress on old WIPs and it has been quite nostalgic for me. ;;w;;

10. what is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it?

Oh god, I can’t remember the actual longest wait time on a draft because typically my projects stay unfinished WIPs for months to years before my brain decides I’m done with them. Then, I either wait a day to run through a final edit with a fresher eye or just decide to yolo it and post immediately (mistakes and all).

There are occasional (rare) exceptions to this. A Rose’s Thorns is the most recent example that comes to mind. I started writing/outlining it back in 2015, came back to it in 2017 when the burnout was starting to catch up to me, and it stayed a WIP until I picked it up again for a 2024 rarepair week. Now, depending on what you consider a draft… this could either mean I let it rest for 7-9 years in a mostly complete state (I didn’t think it was anywhere near complete at the time and had initially planned to cram a lot more into the plot, but honestly I’m glad I let it sit for so long because it really only needed three more short scenes to wrap up nicely) or I finished it in May and let it sit for one month before the final edit prior to posting on the first day of the event. ^^’

19. the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

The nostalgia I hold for Hidden Expedition: Titanic (and the subsequent affection I now have for the rest of the games in the series) is powerful enough that it not only led me down yet another Titanic research hole but also got me spending way too much time immersed in Mount Everest research. So many deaths… so much trauma… so so much history and culture… And I’m technically still in this hole because I may have finished writing Into The Deep, but I’ve got more Hidden Expedition fic in the works (I just have to replay Everest another time to make sure I haven’t missed even more lore nuggets).

29. how easy is it for you to come up with titles?

Sometimes the title pops into my head first and I am so intrigued I write a fic around it, but most of the time titling my written work is an agonizing process of finding just the right words. I used to be so good at this. ;;n;; Nowadays, if I’m well and truly stumped I’ll just look up song lyrics or fall down a research hole to find a clever reference and grab whatever sticks out at me. //bricked

[missellaneousworks]

So I finished Dragon Age: The Veilguard...

(Note: this is by no means a professional or complete review of the game, just some points I’m drabbling about after I concluded my first playthrough.)

Man, has it been a wild ride.  Overall, this was a very fun experience and I’m so glad I got to play this game.  I tried going into it blind and avoided as many spoilers as possible – which was a partial success and a partial failure (damn you untagged posts and TikTok edits). But I digress… 

Let’s go over the good stuff first – [SOME SPOILERS AHEAD]

I loved the chemistry between the companions.  Some companions got along better than others, some hit it off right off the bat, and others went from rivals to friends. It was a joy to watch these interactions happen throughout the game.  Most of the dialogue felt natural and engaging, with well-timed humor sprinkled in between the sentences as the comradery grew between Rook and companions.

The world and locations you visit are beautifully crafted. I rather like that they went back to more linear level designs, similar to Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2. Inquisition had a lot of versatility, but I would often find myself overwhelmed at times from the sheer amount of fetch quests (my least favorite kind). Because they minimized the “playing field area,” I believe that allowed the developers to pour their resources into the architecture of the landscape, as well as the combat system.

Speaking of which, the combat was one of my favorite features of this game.  The movements flow so nicely and the controls feel like each attack has some weight to them. Overall, very fun fights. I’d even argue playing the warrior class is even more fun than the mage class – though I would almost consider it scandalous since mage class is my favorite amongst the series. 

I’ve also noticed certain combat and gameplay mechanics that can also be found in the Mass Effect series.  It seems that the more games Bioware makes, they take the good mechanics that works and implement them in the other series. If that’s the case, I’m interested in what the next Mass Effect game will have that was shared with DAV.   

Now, for the critiques.

The writing.  I do genuinely love how the game is ascribed to build bonds with all of the companions.  It was good in certain areas, but unfortunately lacking in others. Not all of the companions got the same amount of treatment and care.  I cannot comment the same on the romances, since I have yet to play them all/watch video compilations. 

The most notable instances I pulled from my first playthrough wasTaash and Bellara.

Taash’s storyline had good emotional beats, but felt like it was rushed or underdeveloped, especially in the beginning.  Bellara’s development had a lot of potential but just fell short of making an incredible impact. It also felt like we had the same conversation with Bellara multiple times? Sort of? 

There were times the dialogue was outright awkward.  While the occasional awkwardness in text can be seen in all of the games, it felt more prevalent in Veilguard. I do recognize that a good chunk of the writing and development was done during the pandemic, and that sometimes it is hard to keep track of an entire storyline spanning 30+ hours of gameplay, so I can be a little more forgiving of the fact.  However, an additional comb through of the story line and to correct any plot holes was sorely needed.

There were also certain plot holes in the lore, or certain pieces of the lore that happened in earlier games were retconned.  The Antivan Crows, while a beloved and intriguing faction in Veilguard, was a bit of a head-scratcher for me, and the faint memories I have of their lore, through conversations the Warden can hold with Zevran in Dragon Age Origins. Granted, Origins took place 20 years ago, so many things could have happened in the lore that I may have missed or did not read up on–Dragon Age also has several light comics and novels published.  I also later learned that certain pieces of lore in the game only have proper context if you read the side/light novels.  Which is… not a good move for a video game series.  I support story mediums expanding past their original form, but if you do not include characters or direly important information IN THE GAME, it will be missed by the majority of your audience, which is not a good move.  

It was also a tad disappointing that only 3 major choices from Inquisition impacted the world building in Veilguard.  Granted, Veilguard takes place in northern Thedas, not Southern Thedas like the three previous games, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that certain previous actions from the South did not greatly effect the North. However, previous actions from the games effecting the timeline has always been an expected factor in all Dragon Age games which let players, myself included, disgruntled as it left our wonders and theories of the future of Southern Thedas on the wayside. Perhaps Bioware is now implementing the “rule of three,” where only 3 games at a time will be impacted by past decisions.

Throughout the course of the game you find multiple letters by one of Solas’s old comrades and friends, Felassan, and apart from scattles letters and at least one or two flashbacks, he’d have a greater impact within the game’s lore.  Right?  NOPE!  [SPOILERS!!!]  Solas killed him in the Dragon Age novel, The Masked Empire. And the game makes absolutely NO reference to that from what I could tell. 

Despite where the narrative failed at points, the bonds between the characters were the ultimate highlight of the writing.  I hope that for the next game, they will iron out the plot more thoroughly and not leave little lore tibbits to the media outside of the games, which is unfair to their franchise as well as their fans. Whatever may come, I do look forward to how Dragon Age will grow from here on out. 

Also… apparently there’s a secret ending to the game that may be teasing the new villain of the next game.  I don’t know HOW you get this ending, only saw a clip of it on TikTok.

[hbyrde36]

Self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 🖤

oh! so fun, thanks anon!

In no particular order because they are all precious to me:

Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

Vampire Eddie Munson, Vampire Hunter Steve Harrington, P.I. Robin Buckley, bad-ass gun toting Nancy Wheeler, VAMPIRE DUSTIN!, Stripper Chrissy Cunningham, and so much more.

My ‘steddie as Anita and Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake novels’ fic. I fucking love this thing. It’s SO FUN. The book series it’s pulled from start out in the 90’s (yes I’m old and I read them when they were originally published🙈) and as much as I love the idea of Vampire Hunter Steve having a beeper, I decided to bring things up to present day (along with quite a few other changes to make it my own, and to fit the steddie vibe). It’s weird and a little challenging writing a fic intermingling two different pieces of media, but I love weaving in and combing elements of each universe's lore, while still maintaining the main beats of the story. If nothing else, read this one for the dream sequences!

2. Caught in the Undertow

Post season 4, Canon Divergent – Eddie lives and Vecna has been defeated.

AKA the sad Eddie fic, or, as i used to call it in my head, 'the passively suicidal Eddie fic'. This was my first foray into the ‘giving my own issues to my blorbos’ thing, although it still seems to be in character for them, I think. Don’t worry, I spread it out between both Eddie and Steve, so they’re both a little fucked up. I loved and hated writing every word of this fic. It was so hard sometimes and I made myself cry more than once, but it was incredibly cathartic. This is the fic I go back to and read parts of more than anything else I’ve written.

3. Times Like These

Time loop, Eddie POV

TLT was my first brain worm, my first ever fanfic, and the first thing I’d written period in a very long time. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was so intrigued by the idea and there weren’t many (any?) Eddie POV time loops on ao3 at that point so it was definitely a little bit of a “fine I’ll do it myself” moment. I was just so curious how it would play out if Eddie, the new guy who knew so little about the upside down, who got thrown into the mix and died all within a single week, were to be the one stuck in a loop. What would he think was happening to him? Would he trust the party enough to tell them? What would he do or change to try and fix things? I think I’ve improved quite a bit as a writer since I finished this, just through sheer practice, but I’m still so very proud of my first baby and think about it often.

4. Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Canon was just a crazy homebrew D&D game, sort of.

My second brain worm, this fic lived in my head for 8 months before I had written a single word of it. It all started with the idea that, 'what if all of the events from the show had just been a D&D game played by the boys in Mike’s basement?', and then I ran with it from there. It’s a work in progress and we have still have a ways to go (I’m not sure we’re even at the halfway point yet) but I love how it’s turning out. The response from readers, in comments on ao3 and tumblr, to this one has been very kind and encouraging. It makes it SO easy to work on knowing others love it as much as I do.

5. Thank God we didn’t peak in High School

Friends-with-Benefits to Lovers, Modern Au, life after high school au, no upside down

I wrote this series at the last minute for Steddie Week. Last minute, as in I didn’t even start until several days into the event. I’ve never put out so many words so fast. This fic is loosely based on my own marriage’s origin story, although our beginnings were even more dramatic than this (I felt like I had to tone it down to make it believable). This is the first project that made me realize how fun writing from prompts could be! It’s definitely not my best writing, but the story is fun and cute, a little dramatic and angsty, and as always the boys get their happy ending!

[thiswasinevitable-rwrb]

I hope you’re doing okay!

I loooooooooooove Salt Follows The Moon… I love your vampire lore and how well you balance the characters and the plot and the supernatural elements.

I’m also super into Codename: Rapunzel! The premise is super intriguing and I’ve reread the chapters you’ve posted so far several times!

Thanks for sharing your writing with us!

❤️🤍💙

Thank you 💗 nothing conclusive yet but the medical journey has begun haha

Thank you for following Salt Follows the Moon this far!! I understand a fic pushing 70 chapters is....a lot lol

And Codename: Rapunzel!! omg I miss it haha I do intend to return to it after Salt is finished. I'm actually working on a long-awaited Burning chapter but nobody get excited.

Thank you for reading my fics <3

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (06/19/23)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter (7/10)

This book is probably my least favorite of the first series of Warriors. I feel like there are a lot of easily avoidable conflicts and some very bad decision making by Fireheart, Graystripe, and a bunch of other characters. Also, there isn't much progress towards the overarching plot of the series. A lot of stuff is set up, but, particularly when it comes to Fireheart's suspicions of Tigerclaw, we're mostly just back where we started. I will say that I really like the introduction of a lot of characters, namely the WindClan cats, Silverstream, Cinderpaw, and Cloudkit. Also, Sandstorm gets a lot of character development in this book, and I really like how she is gradually warming up to Fireheart. On the other hand, Graystripe is definitely on the outs with me. I always remember that Fireheart was basically Brackenpaw's mentor.

Exile by Shannon Messenger (8/10)

Another second in series, and another with some dubious character decisions. While I really like this series and think the plot progresses significantly in this book, the way Sophie is treated just makes my blood boil. You're telling me that you brought a thirteen-year-old to one of the most dangerous places in your world to help with an incredibly delicate process and then got mad when she messed up?? Are you kidding me? Alden's insane for having her do it, the Council is irresponsible for approving it and then getting on her back, and Fitz in particular really needs to shut his mouth. I did like that we got to see the real beginnings of Sophie and Keefe's relationship, one of my favorites in the series, and I love how complicated yet genuine Grady and Edaline are.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (9/10)

Guys, I don't think you understand how much of a chokehold this series has on me. I have a whole plan for how my summer reading's gonna go, and I throw it all out the window because I can't stay away from Folk of the Air for so long. Jude has to be one of my favorite protagonists ever; I love how ruthless and dedicated she is, and I love her and Cardan's relationship. It's super toxic and unhealthy, but it works for them. I love dark faerie lore, and the way Black uses it to trick the reader and make engaging intrigue is just so good.

Twisted Love by Ana Huang (DNF @ 60%, 2/10)

I just really couldn’t make myself continue this book, but I did make it past my threshold to rate a book (halfway). Contemporary romances are really hit or miss for me, and this was a definite miss. It was boring, unreasonable in a way that defies even romance logic, and the toxic masculinity from the male lead was horrendous. The main character had no discernable personality traits other than sweeter than sugar, and the whole plot was disjointed and forced.

Forest of Shadows by Erin Hunter (CR, 15%)

This book starts with one of my least favorite scenes in the whole series, just sheer secondhand embarrassment, but I remember the rest of this book being quite strong. And also tragic. So we’ll see!

Everblaze by Shannon Messenger (CR)

I’ve technically yet to crack this one open, but it’s on the list to be finished this week!

[emotionthread]

rain world watcher comments/stream of consciousness (spoilers! but haven’t finished yet either)

list of regions i’ve seen: coral caves, aether ridge, sunlit port, rusted wrecks, desolate tract, cold storage, unfortunate evolution, stormy coast, shrouded coast, torrential railways, torrid desert, badlands, outer rim, signal spire, the surface, heat ducts, turbulent pump, verdant waterways, salination (?), infested wastes, corrupted factories

No idea what’s happening. i’ve met the echo a handful of times in various regions, but i’ve lost count of what “karma” i’m on (for lack of a better word), or how many times it’s spoken to me. the way it speaks is interesting, and i wonder what the lore implications are of this guy moving around? or bestowing a gift of camoflage? echoes aren’t supposed to be able to do that… i’ve been to the throne twice, and saw dialogue from a creature i couldn’t see. my friend suggested it could be sentient rot, which is an intriguing idea. i’m not the smartest when it comes to rain world lore and usually prefer to read other’s thoughts rather than theorize myself. i think i haven’t seen enough to piece together any story yet.

i imagine we will not be seeing iterators at all during this campaign, and this is not something that bothers me; downpour was already very iterator centric, i wouldn’t mind at all that the watcher seems to be taking a step away from that and exploring other facets of canon. speaking of downpour, i am also wondering how this fits into canon. is it canon to vanilla, or considered to be an alternate canon similar to downpour?

one interesting tidbit is that the echo mentioned the “glip glop” (i assume refers to the rot) always spreads the further out you go. the more i meet this echo, the more… purple? everything seems to get. rooms turn purple in hue, the ceilings begin dripping, the floor is black and spongy, lizards are infected with rot and begin making strange noises, black specks swim around in the air, and there are weird bone-like creatures with pink-purple tentacles that grab you and make you ragdoll. well, either it’s the teleporting around causing this effect to spread, or meeting the echo.

i’ve seen some people say they don’t like how none of the regions fit together, but i don’t think i particularly mind, as you’re clearly teleporting around. or being sent to different realities? or timelines? or something of the sort? another complaint i”ve seen is that the ending doesn’t make sense. which itself doesn’t make sense to me. did you play vanilla rain world? did you understand its ending the first time you witnessed it? let alone the fact that videocult has said that the full story will be revealed upon console release of the watcher. one criticism i Do agree with is that there’s not much to do in these regions. yes, the campaign is huge, but there aren’t really unlocks or colored pearls to speak of, or incentive to return to those places…? perhaps unlocks will be added in one of those updates. it is a bit of a region randomizer honestly. i enjoy rain world gameplay even without a clear objective in mind, however, so this does not bother me personally.

i’m inclined to think i’ll like the story once i’ve both put the pieces together and understand it. after all, the whole videocult team got together to work on this, and i already loved vanilla lore so much. i’ll add to this post once i’ve gotten further along, maybe.

[thevictoriousone]

I finally finished Undertale. I have thoughts.

Most of the game was neat but not as up-my-alley as I’d expected. I should mention that the only thing I really knew going in was that I could do a pacifist run, and that was my goal.

Unfortunately I played Omori before playing Undertale, and Omori (which, of course, wouldn’t exist without the influence of Undertale) was more my style.

Then I paused Undertale and played In Stars and Time, which is now one of my most favorite games of all time. Another one that fully could not exist without Undertale, which I know and appreciate, but which I nevertheless connect with so much more.

All this to say that I appreciated the influence and creativity of Undertale while playing through, and I giggled at the jokes and mostly enjoyed the experience. But it was marred a bit by the fact that I’d met its children first and was already best friends with them.

HOWEVER

(Spoilers under the cut)

The first time the game really wowed me was toward the very beginning.

The first fight, facing Toriel, I knew I didn’t have to kill her, I knew I didn’t *want* to kill her, but I didn’t yet know how to make that work.

So I accidentally killed her, to my horror.

I immediately quit and restarted and then figured out how to avoid doing that. Success! Phew.

But then. BUT THEN. Fucking Flowey.

This horrifying flower monster CALLED ME OUT. It told me it KNEW I’d killed her and restarted.

I was disturbed and intrigued in equal measure.

Again, as I continued through the game, it was interesting but didn’t really hit as strongly for me as I wanted it to. After feeling so many emotions over Sunny in Omori and Siffrin in ISAT, I just could not connect with this almost-silent, personality-devoid PC who was clearly meant to be a blank slate. That’s on me, not on Undertale, btw. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with approaching storytelling with that kind of PC, it just was harder for me personally to connect in this case.

The jokes were funny, but the lack of seriousness throughout also fell outside of my general preference and mood too. Again, not a critique of Undertale itself, just a note as to why it didn’t quite hit the mark within my own personal tastes.

I’m gonna throw in another BUT THEN.

The ending.

It took ages, it took a bit of googling to make sure I wasn’t fucking up, it took me discarding the dagger like a dingus, but I beat the king.

In keeping with everything else I’d done up to this point, I showed mercy.

But FUCKING. FLOWEY.

I wasn’t entirely surprised when Flowey showed up and killed the king. I mean, clearly there was going to be more to this game than “beat king go home here’s your ending.”

But I did NOT expect Flowey to come

ERASE MY SAVE

SHUT DOWN MY GAME

CHANGE MY MENU

When these things happened, my jaw hit the floor.

My 8yo was sitting next to me and half-watching, half-begging me to turn off the game and read to her, and she actually freaked out a little when she saw my reaction. But then I turned to her and grinned like a maniac…which freaked her out more tbh. So I explained why I was so shocked and gleeful and she was also floored.

I ended up going through the true pacifist stuff so I could get the real ending. It took a lot longer than I expected, and it was probably my favorite part of the game. The True Lab was creepy and weird and filled with unsettling lore and I was like “hahaha YES YES MORE” about it all.

And then the final battle with Asriel, saving my friends, having us all come together…that was pretty fun to do.

It still didn’t hit for me as emotionally as I would have wanted - my lack of connection to my character and by extension these other characters meant that I wasn’t very emotionally invested in the friendships as a whole, unfortunately - but I very much appreciate what was being done there and think it was done very well.

I really really really enjoyed the ending of the game.

And I think one of my favorite things about Undertale now that I’ve played through it (and definitely missed a TON of stuff, I know) is that it was both a fun experience on its own AND it laid a phenomenal foundation for some truly excellent games to come after it too. That’s extremely impressive.

I’m very glad I’ve played it, and it felt great to finally unblock the Undertale tag on tumblr.

[florencebirdsong]

How’s the book goingggg

Honestly amazing. I’m not super far into it yet since I usually listen to audiobooks on my way to work and I’m lucky to get 7 hours a week recently (send help) but the way McGuire describes Wanda’s magic in this book is honestly fascinating.

We’ve obviously got comics from Wanda’s point of view but that medium skips the internal description of Wanda using her powers. I’m lowkey enamoured by it. Once I’ve finished listening to it the first time I’m definitely going back and writing down the details. It’ll be very interesting to see the difference in how other powers are internally described in other fantasy books. Especially since Wanda has chaos magic, which isn’t something we really having in other fantasy books even by a different name

The plot itself is very intriguing. I’m only three hours into it so I’m currently in the know nothing phase but there are some things I can guess from the comics (like who Wanda was with initially). But then there’s others that have me :0 Like there’s one character who appeared and I verbally said their name like ?!?! It’s super interesting how the author is weaving in these characters and how she’s explaining the backstory and the differences of this universe without a huge dump of exposition.

But yeah, at this stage of the book I’m loving it and anyone who enjoys reading or listening to books should definitely check it out. You don’t need to know comic lore or anything. If you aren’t a book buyer, most local libraries have a system in place where if you request a book that was released recently they will order it in for you :)

[elixirfromthestars]

Such a fascinating read from start to finish, I was hooked the entire time!! ✨

More under the cut ᯓᡣ𐭩

so bucky doesn’t know why in the heat of it all, while clutching at the tethers he’s been desperately hanging onto, the fragments of who he was - is, where they try to pull him apart once more, that he suddenly decides to hopelessly pray.

^ the desperation he must’ve felt, my poor boy 😭💔

there is no answer, the assumption can only be correct as they strap him down tighter into that blasted chair and try to forcibly fry his mind. electricity fizzles and crackles all throughout his head, it will forever burn, even when he’s not in the chair he feels it, a phantom pressure seeping beyond his socket, that is hard to discern if it’s real or false. the harsh truth echoes all around him, reverberates in his bones. no one is coming to save bucky barnes.

^ when I get my hands on you Hydra—it’s over!! 😤😡 leave my poor boy alone 💔💔

it is heard by a previously dormant god stirring awake from the depths, for the very first time in centuries. he wakes up nestled between dusty and crumpled ruins, what might’ve been an altar in his name, there are no scriptures or scrolls, it seems that he has been forgotten until now. a deity who slumbered without a single follower or believer for an untold amount of years, suddenly awoken by the most desperate and profoundly broken plea he’d ever heard.

^ the way both Bucky and the god have been forgotten I am sobbing 😭😭😭

“it’s okay, i’ve got you now.” he means it, this stranger is just that, a stranger, someone he does not know, yet the urge to take care of the other is overwhelming. “can you speak? what is your name?” the voice that answers him is gravelly, spoken by a spent and tired man, “m’bucky, my name, it’s…it’s bucky.”

^ After all the torture he still remembered his name omg 🥺

slowly, he reaches towards the soldier, watching carefully for any jerky movements or instinctual reactions, when all he finds is wary glances at his hand, he continues, softly pressing the pads of his fingers against bucky’s ear that is lightly bleeding. it is miraculous what gods can do, how much magic they have within just their very fingertips, in the next moment, the trickle of blood is gone.

^ I am sooooo intrigued by this god like, I want to know so much more about him 👀 what kind of god is he? What are the full extent of his powers? What is the lore? 👀👀 I’m so fascinated!! ✨

“i wouldn’t have.” its the truth, “and you needed me. you called for me.”

^ This reminds me of the “you came” , “you called” trope and in this context it’s so devastatingly good!! 🤧💔

he still hesitates to clamber into it’s mountainous duvet and circle of fluffy pillows. even though the deity healed parts of him, there is still an awful ache that weighs him down, it’s like any sort of pain is clinging to him, whether it’s imaginary or not. subconsciously it feels like a trick, it can’t be safe can it? he’s not safe from hydra anywhere, they will always find him, he is just property-

^ those last few sentences—HEARTBREAKING 💔💔💔

bucky doesn’t even have time to question that sentence, the moment his body sags onto the bed, it feels like coming home. there are inklings of steve, his ma, his siblings, brooklyn, everywhere and everyone he has ever loved, he hears them faintly, he smells them distantly. it is enough to lull him to sleep almost instantaneously, so even though he wanted to narrow his eyes and demand what that statement meant, he cannot. his mouth fills with cotton, his body weights what feels like tonnes, he is warm, he feels safe. his eyes droop as he melts into the duvet, it is warm, comfortable, such a contrast compared to the agonising frost of cryo. there is a semblance of peace that nestles into his worn bones, it’s the first time in a long time that he can breathe, exist, without an abnormal amount of pain. in this odd bed, in an incomprehensible realm, bucky slips into a soft slumber.

^ my boy finally getting some well deserved peace 😭🩷🩷 I love that he’s surrounded by the senses/comfort of home, it’s probably so soothing for his soul after everything he’s been through 🥺

and bucky barnes will have avoided the reality where he got moulded into a killing machine, ruined beyond comprehension that he forgot who he was entirely. there is still a lot of work to do in this version, the man is still traumatised, may forever be wounded by what was done to him, and there is no guarantee in the future that hydra won’t get him again and finish the job, but atleast for now, he is alright. he is asleep.

^ he’s getting a happy ending 😭🩷 oh that’s all I hope for 🤧❤️‍🩹

it may be hours or days that he spends wallowing in those ruins, raking over it what feels like a million times, committing the pathetic structure into memory, as if it might change for the better, or maybe because he won’t see it again. he has no plans to depart from bucky once more, there is no one else to visit, so he leans down, right next to the barren altar and presses a featherlight kiss to the cracked, carved stone. it is a goodbye for all those he failed, and all those who once followed him.

^ LET ME HUG HIM 😭💔 PLEASE 😭💔

despite it all, bucky is a vision, face messily framed by a brown mane, long eyelashes, slightly parted lips and his scratchy stubble. the scars on him are far from grotesque, they paint a picture so vivid he is unsure if he can look away. this man has survived, and in the future some day he will live again.

^ I never thought I would ever have something in common with a god, but look at that, now I do. 👀 We both think Bucky is a vision and how could anyone not?? 🤭🩷

in all of his years existing as a deity, watching and observing lives but never living one himself, he lets himself yearn, for just one singular moment. what would it had been like? to chase fulfilment? perhaps love? it sounds odd, but the most emotion he’s ever felt is now, in the presence of being forgotten, but also protecting bucky. a part of him desires to inch closer to the man, to cradle him, or even weave his hand through that brown hair. he wishes to provide comfort for someone who’s been deprived of it for so long, but he sits perfectly still, and watches, just like he’s always done.

^ And you know what, I want to provide comfort to the deity 🥺 I want to wrap a blanket around him, tuck him in, and let him know he is worthy of yearning and wanting and all that!! 🥺❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

Oh, my lovely, what a hauntingly beautiful fic 😭🩷 You had me in my feelings from start to finish!! You write in such a beautifully detailed, clear and concise voice, it made for such a wonderful read!! I’m big on imagery as a reader, so whenever there’s lots of detail I am devouring every word greedily!! My greatest apologies for not getting to this sooner, lots of life stuff got in the way 🥺. But I do hope my comments could put a smile on your face 🫶🏼 And of course, thank you so much for participating in my writing challenge!! ❤️❤️

the last prayer

bucky barnes x deity reader (he/him, third person)

this is my entry for @elixirfromthestars ‘s cinema writing contest! it’s probably quite an out there prompt but i hope you enjoy nonetheless!! (dialogue prompt used: “it’s okay, i’ve got you now”)

synopsis: a decade has passed since the initial capture of james ‘bucky’ barnes, who after so long is finally running out of time to save his humanity. which is why for some reason he makes the absurd choice to pray, and unbeknownst to him, wakes something dark and ancient.

warnings: torture, violence, hints to murder, angst (it’s bucky, very expected). it’s not super religious, reader is like a god the way loki or thor is buttt there’s a few more mechanics to it involving worship and dormancy.

wordcount: 3,045

there is no god.

not within hydra’s snare, not within the depths of torture and brainwashing that has now spanned across years.

hope has long since been abandoned, if there is a hell, this is it, there is surely nowhere worse than this.

so bucky doesn’t know why in the heat of it all, while clutching at the tethers he’s been desperately hanging onto, the fragments of who he was - is, where they try to pull him apart once more, that he suddenly decides to hopelessly pray.

he does it silently in his head, viewing himself opaquely from behind a looking glass as they beckon him to become a machine. it is clear that soon, he will be buried within his own body, that something mechanical will take over to do terrible, terrible things. bucky knows by now that there is no light at the end of this tunnel, only blood, only death, caused by hands that are somehow attached to him.

he isn’t ready for when they finally break him.

there is no answer, the assumption can only be correct as they strap him down tighter into that blasted chair and try to forcibly fry his mind. electricity fizzles and crackles all throughout his head, it will forever burn, even when he’s not in the chair he feels it, a phantom pressure seeping beyond his socket, that is hard to discern if it’s real or false.

the harsh truth echoes all around him, reverberates in his bones.

no one is coming to save bucky barnes.

well, bucky barnes died falling from that train, he died the second hydra sunk their claws in. he is continuously dying as they slowly dissect whatever is left, they are in real time, attempting to convert him into an object, into a machine without autonomy or control.

they are trying to take away what is innately human. his thoughts, his feelings, they will be scrapped and forged into programming, orders and targets.

so yes, it is very obvious by now that no one is coming to rescue him from this.

what he isn’t aware of, is how wrong he actually is. this time bucky has not been ignored, something has noticed the anguish plaguing him, and it listens with rapt attention. it hangs achingly on every word, every cry, that echoes from him.

it is heard by a previously dormant god stirring awake from the depths, for the very first time in centuries. he wakes up nestled between dusty and crumpled ruins, what might’ve been an altar in his name, there are no scriptures or scrolls, it seems that he has been forgotten until now. a deity who slumbered without a single follower or believer for an untold amount of years, suddenly awoken by the most desperate and profoundly broken plea he’d ever heard.

there is barely time to look around, for the environment to sink in. why had his final resting place been here? why was he forgotten? who was his last devotee? a million questions flood his long, awaiting, buzzing body. a fizzle creeps inside his gut the longer he waits, the more he lingers and doesn’t attend to that sharp, hopeless call.

the god doesn’t falter, he brushes any tiredness away, this is his first follower in a long time, and they need him.

the scene that greets him does not aid his protectiveness, it only trebles it. it is no wonder the call had seemed wrenching, what is being done is unfathomable, a contraption which from just one look seems sickening. restraining a man, holding him so tightly in place, and the thing lodged against the eye is horrific.

whatever the plate attached to the right side of the face is, it’s certainly alive, spitting live sparks and light straight against skin. the person in the chair is biting down so hard that he’s surprised the other’s teeth aren’t cracking under the fierce pressure of their jaw locking. despite his caller’s mouth being firmly shut, the screams pouring out are barely muffled, they’re guttural, raw, and they make the god’s stomach twist even more.

it is nothing like he has ever seen before, and he has seen countless of lives, of mortals, their squabbles and war, their arguments and their loves. this surely cannot be the doing of humankind, it is too cruel, how can someone mutilate another in such a way?

but his eyes are not deceiving, there are humans in white coats roaming all around, ignoring the one so obviously in excruciating pain. they are used to it, that realisation alone makes his blood boil.

he cannot withstand it a moment longer, any previous silent acknowledgement to not meddle with mortals unwinds far from him. it doesn’t matter anymore, there is no religion in his name, it is just him and this one small devotee, soaked in pain and suffering.

so when he finally steps out of the shadows, now visible to the human eye, he doesn’t bother with politeness or pleasantries, those were already revoked at this point. there is no forgiveness, gentleness or compassion in the way he squanders the crowd surrounding the caller. it is a mess of screams, thick black clouds swamp the room, none of what occurs can be seen, but it undoubtedly violent, twisted, and permanent.

he just hopes if the soldier in the chair was watching, the smoke obscured it enough. to the god’s horror, the machine is still on, whirring and humming hauntingly. he doesn’t know what it is, what it does, but he strides towards it with panic anyway, and frantically rips it all off, searching for injury with furrowed brows.

“it’s okay, i’ve got you now.” he means it, this stranger is just that, a stranger, someone he does not know, yet the urge to take care of the other is overwhelming. “can you speak? what is your name?”

the voice that answers him is gravelly, spoken by a spent and tired man, “m’bucky, my name, it’s…it’s bucky.”

it is clear that bucky is delirious, stuck in a heady haze from whatever just occurred, because it takes him a few seconds to register the mass of people are gone, that the thing speaking to him isn’t human, that he’s being touched by someone who might once again hurt him. it isn’t a surprise that he flinches, and then tries to scramble away, it’s like his entire body gets dunked in total fear.

the god moves back immediately, unable to help the frown overcoming his face, the last thing he wanted was to scare this bucky. thinking quickly, he changes tactics and crouches lower to the ground, akin to approaching a spooked animal, his hulking body looks awkward with trying to appear small. “you called for me. i will not hurt you.”

bucky’s steel eyes flash with confusion, then uncertainty, then anger. “that’s not funny. i don’t know who you are, but just get it over with, don’t fucking play with me.”

a part of him wants to huff, to scowl at the way a mortal is talking to him, but he can’t really find it within himself to care enough about it. this human is unique, an enigma that doesn’t even know itself. instead of frustration, he sinks deeper into patience for this new follower.

slowly, he reaches towards the soldier, watching carefully for any jerky movements or instinctual reactions, when all he finds is wary glances at his hand, he continues, softly pressing the pads of his fingers against bucky’s ear that is lightly bleeding. it is miraculous what gods can do, how much magic they have within just their very fingertips, in the next moment, the trickle of blood is gone.

it looks like there was no injury to begin with. he repeats the action around the man’s head, and even around the shoulder which is deeply scarred and yet seemingly still deeply painful and sore. after the deity is done, he leans back, intently watching bucky’s face.

his brows are furrowed, lips parted, he appears to be a breath away from an argument or accusation. his muscles are pulled taut, ineffably tense, the metal of his left arm creaks. “you’re fucking kidding me. there is a god…and it took you this long?” it comes out flat and the laugh that leaves bucky is humourless, a bark that’s full of venom.

he doesn’t know what to say, there isn’t much to be said. despite the words spoken, there is not just hatred in bucky’s eyes, there’s also relief, but it seems neatly tucked away behind anger. “there’s multiple actually,” he awkwardly stops that sentence at the look on bucky’s face, half disbelieving and the other half pissed off. “i’ve just been dormant.”

the man borders on a scowl, “what do you mean dormant?” there seems to be more movement in his body now, enough so that he squirms to get out the chair, but immediately falls to his knees when he does, the deity is there to catch him, keeping him relatively upright. bucky huffs at the touch, his body still a little slack, the god shudders from the heat radiating off the human and pulls back enough to give him space. its been a long time since he's felt any warmth.

“i haven’t had anyone pray to me for a long time. so, i was dormant, asleep, unable to wake up until someone woke me. you did.” it's a clipped admission, like he is covering up how raw the reality actually is.

there’s a pause, a breath of confusion, “i did?”

he nods back to bucky, “you did." he then hesitantly adds, "i am sorry that i couldn’t come sooner.” there is a guilt that claws at his chest, bubbling up straight to his throat, where he is unable to swallow, “but i’m here now, and no one will hurt you, not while i’m here.”

he guides bucky far away from the chair, and then uses his magic to take them somewhere even farther, absent from the effects of time and humanity. it is extremely void-like, an ocean of ink that spans an unfathomable distance, yet it is not cold. more than anything it is comfortable, peaceful, if you focus hard enough you can hear the distant tweets of birds or the hustle and bustle of brooklyn.

atleast that’s what bucky hears, it’s a place designed to be safe, reminiscent of home. “why save me? could’ve just left me there.”

“i wouldn’t have.” its the truth, “and you needed me. you called for me.”

“i still don’t get it.” he scowls, but it holds almost no malice, he stares up at the god, eyes searching for something, for a hint of betrayal or bad intentions.

the skepticism finally washes off bucky’s face, whatever he’s looking for, he doesn’t find it, he is probably too tired to keep his guard up, he’s been doing that for years. this place has the sounds of brooklyn, when he closes his eyes, he swears he can hear his ma’s voice, gentle, coaxing in his ears to rest. he’s been solely burning on reserves that haven’t existed, fighting against a force that was bound to always beat him, until a god decided to fight in his corner, which is still incredibly hard to wrap his muddled head around.

“you should rest.” the god speaks again, gaze flickering to bucky with an emotion the soldier can’t decipher. he settles down on his knees, huge body furling against the ground, and he watches bucky absentmindedly.

there is still that strange expression coated on the god’s face, almost like the start of a goodbye, close to fond and sad.

“where do i slee-“ before bucky can even finish, there is a bed conjured right in front of him, obscenely big compared to the cramped bed he used to sleep in, the apartment in brooklyn he shared with steve, with chipped walls and its slightly stale air. this bed would cost a fortune, he feels odd even stepping towards it. the question of how it appeared lingers on his tongue, but he’s too exhausted to question it, a god is right next to him, he doesn’t have the capacity to think about what a god can’t do. “oh.”

he still hesitates to clamber into it’s mountainous duvet and circle of fluffy pillows. even though the deity healed parts of him, there is still an awful ache that weighs him down, it’s like any sort of pain is clinging to him, whether it’s imaginary or not. subconsciously it feels like a trick, it can’t be safe can it? he’s not safe from hydra anywhere, they will always find him, he is just property-

“rest.” the god repeats, firmly, but almost faltering. “you’re not needed yet, i’ll wake you up when it’s time.”

“hey now-“

bucky doesn’t even have time to question that sentence, the moment his body sags onto the bed, it feels like coming home. there are inklings of steve, his ma, his siblings, brooklyn, everywhere and everyone he has ever loved, he hears them faintly, he smells them distantly. it is enough to lull him to sleep almost instantaneously, so even though he wanted to narrow his eyes and demand what that statement meant, he cannot. his mouth fills with cotton, his body weights what feels like tonnes, he is warm, he feels safe.

his eyes droop as he melts into the duvet, it is warm, comfortable, such a contrast compared to the agonising frost of cryo. there is a semblance of peace that nestles into his worn bones, it’s the first time in a long time that he can breathe, exist, without an abnormal amount of pain. in this odd bed, in an incomprehensible realm, bucky slips into a soft slumber.

bucky barnes has a larger purpose, he cannot just go back to brooklyn, he is needed, decades in the future. he will wake up to find his best friend was presumed dead and yet was somehow found, buried in a block of ice. somehow him and steve will have survived, and they will find each other again. both of their families will be mostly long gone, as well as everyone they ever knew, but they will have each other.

and bucky barnes will have avoided the reality where he got moulded into a killing machine, ruined beyond comprehension that he forgot who he was entirely. there is still a lot of work to do in this version, the man is still traumatised, may forever be wounded by what was done to him, and there is no guarantee in the future that hydra won’t get him again and finish the job, but atleast for now, he is alright. he is asleep.

the god will watch over, and will also be alone for around 60 years. no one will pray to him, he is quite sure of it, whatever happened with bucky was purely accidental, but he is glad it happened. his larger purpose is making sure bucky gets where he’s needed, and then after that? well, it will likely be dormancy, and this time, permanently. it is something he’ll need to make peace with, not now, but eventually.

after a few years, he momentarily departs from bucky, triple checking that the man is still comfortable and sleeping, and then heads to where he woke up.

it is still abandoned, desolate, it is in all, a sad sight. he meticulously checks everything, each compartment and nook is empty, ransacked. his gut twists with the realisation that they removed him from history, there isn’t a singular scroll or scripture. there is an urge to cry that wells within his chest, he has officially failed in his godhood, but it is fine, it has to be fine.

it may be hours or days that he spends wallowing in those ruins, raking over it what feels like a million times, committing the pathetic structure into memory, as if it might change for the better, or maybe because he won’t see it again. he has no plans to depart from bucky once more, there is no one else to visit, so he leans down, right next to the barren altar and presses a featherlight kiss to the cracked, carved stone. it is a goodbye for all those he failed, and all those who once followed him.

when he returns, bucky is still sleeping, but he has fidgeted with his metal arm, it glints and gleams, rippling with a hypnotising light. it is still strange to see, he doesn’t know whether to scorn it or admire it on the man knowing the way it got there must’ve been from a deep tragedy. there is a big chance he will never get the opportunity to ask how he got it, and a small pit of sadness swells within him.

despite it all, bucky is a vision, face messily framed by a brown mane, long eyelashes, slightly parted lips and his scratchy stubble. the scars on him are far from grotesque, they paint a picture so vivid he is unsure if he can look away. this man has survived, and in the future some day he will live again.

in all of his years existing as a deity, watching and observing lives but never living one himself, he lets himself yearn, for just one singular moment. what would it had been like? to chase fulfilment? perhaps love? it sounds odd, but the most emotion he’s ever felt is now, in the presence of being forgotten, but also protecting bucky. a part of him desires to inch closer to the man, to cradle him, or even weave his hand through that brown hair. he wishes to provide comfort for someone who’s been deprived of it for so long, but he sits perfectly still, and watches, just like he’s always done.

he has never been quite so attached to a singular mortal before. it could be because it’s the last one he might ever see, but that’s already false. there is something undeniably magnetising about this man, so, he finds himself quite lucky to be the one to watch over him for the next few decades.

it is a privilege to guard bucky barnes, he concludes.

divider creds: @strangergraphics-archive

author's notes (it turned into a huge rant be warned): if im entirely honest its been hard to write what ive wanted to write recently, partly because i felt obligated to cater to a wider audience. i put a lot of pressure on myself because i thought people wouldn't really read if i wrote a reader that was trans or used he/him. i am trying to get out of that mindset, and attempting to write whatever id like to, i think its just the people pleasing side of me being a little too incessant. this however was a step to writing what i wanted, and for that reason im really happy with it.

this is turning into an author’s ramble, if you’re curious on what happens to the god/what the god looks like in my mind, here’s the answer: some of the canon mcu events still did happen, the initial plan for the god was to watch over bucky for around 60 years, but bucky may have been needed by fate sooner. in any case, no matter when bucky wakes up, the god is expecting to go dormant, except i like to think that bucky doesn’t necessarily worship this god, but definitely remembers him, thinks of him in hard times, and in doing so the god stays alive, and dutifully (and excitedly) watches bucky’s life. he very predictably falls in love with bucky, but never takes action. the next time these two actually see each other would be after thanos’ snap, and when bucky blips, he ends up in the god’s realm. i imagine this time that bucky would refuse to sleep, insisting on knowing what’s going on in the world while he technically doesn’t exist anymore.

it would be such an interesting dynamic imo, bucky reuniting with this old god that saved him, knowing that he’s actually not forever dead because otherwise he’d be somewhere different, so he knows sometime in the future the avengers figure out how to undo the snap, and in the meantime he sets it as his goal to befriend this giant god who he only briefly got to speak to in what feels like a past life. i think by the end of it, when bucky gets snapped back, the god promises to visit bucky properly, because after five years of talking and keeping each other company, they’re quite close. this deity loves bucky fiercely, and bucky is probably a little taken aback when he realises, but eventually tries to show reciprocation.

can you imagine the faces of the avengers when one day this GIANT humanoid thing is walking behind bucky like a scary dog and they’re like tf is that??? are we just going to ignore that eldritch being hello???

that brings me to what i picture this god to look like personally, everyone’s interpretations upon reading will be different which i love!! i see him as huge in height, potentially multiple arms, shadow-like in the sense he’s pure black, his skin almost looks like a void, im imagining white eyes (perhaps multiple), and he’s both sharp and soft.

one last thing, i’d like to thank my one mootie for giving me the motivation to start writing more, you know who you are beloved!! (not tagging because i’m not sure if a he/him reader is your cup of tea but i wanted to do an end credits dedication to you mwah mwah 💕!!)

i said one last thing but i lied, im hoping i can maybe do one more entry for this challenge, it’s a great motivator and the prompts are simply amazing!! thank you so much EVERYONE who reads this at any point in time, it means the world to me <3

also song that helped to keep inspiring the fic was “about you” by the 1975

[redshoes-blues]

Reading The Priory of the Orange Tree 🍊🐉🗡

Yesterday I started The Priory of the Orange Tree, and I’m LOVING it so much, so I’ve decided to start a tag on my blog to share my thoughts and theories as I read, since I have nobody to rant to. Might as well rant on here. Sort of a liveblog, but not exactly “live.” I’ll be putting all spoilers under the cut for people who haven’t read the book yet. If you haven’t, you should. It’s really fucking great :)

Here are my thoughts up to Ch. 9, aka the first 100 pages of the book.

Do you ever start a book and know it’s going to be your new favourite book? Because that’s how I felt starting this one. And that feeling has only grown as I’ve read onwards. Oh my god.

I’m someone who takes ages to finish a book these days, because I get distracted or don’t have time to read, and so I struggle to get absorbed into the books I’m reading like when I was a kid. When I was a kid I would be transported into books and feel like I was there. Which is exactly how I feel as I’m reading this book, and it makes me so excited!

First of all, I ADORE how we’re seeing both the East and West perspectives, because it adds so much nuance to the story and helps to show the biases inherent within especially the West’s view of dragons and the events surrounding The Nameless One. The two sides have such different worldviews, though both stemming from the same legend, and I find that fascinating and very realistic to how the real-world operates. Dividing the story up this way is also a great way to show how different the two regions are, and I’m loving the contrast. I’m also interested to see how the stories continue to connect, as so far, Niclays is quite connected to the plot in the West, but Tané isn’t.

West

WHO/WHAT ARE PRIORY! WHAT IS THE ORANGE TREE! Don’t answer that. I’m so intrigued.

A magic order of some sort??? Idk. But Ead’s backstory is so interesting and I need all the details. Already, the fact that she has to pretend to be a convert of another faith (love how this is revealed), has to hide her magic, which seems to be dwindling (magic oranges?), etc. is just damn. Girl tell me everything. Spill the details.

Also. OKAY. The suggestion of the iconic privateer lady that Sabran may have some sort of powers and that’s why the Queens look the same and only have one daughter. I have so many questions. Because at first I assumed there was some sort of divine intervention playing into this. But now I’m wondering if she truly is hiding magic (along with her probable lesbianism).

I adore court drama. Seriously, I’m a period drama girlie through and through, and these dynamics are a blast for me to read. The way the religion functions in Virtudom is especially fascinating to me. I could read pages of lore on that alone. And seeing the contrast in Ead’s beliefs, how they treat her because she’s a convert (though not actually a convert in terms of belief), hurts my heart. There’s so much bias in Virtudom. Ironically, despite them seeing Seikii as this closed-off place, they’re closed-off in an entirely different way.

It’s SO very interesting and realistic that Virtudom would wind up worshipping a male Saint rather than the woman who actually put The Nameless One to rest. Sigh. And how she’s depicted as a damsel in distress in their version of the story is very sad when in actuality (at least according to Ead who I very fully trust right now) she is the hero of the story.

That commentary on how stories have immense power is brilliant. The way we tell stories, the perspectives we tell them from, IS incredibly powerful. And when we look at who is telling much of this story, that becomes clear. Ead is an outsider in the court—from her lack of noble blood, her religion, where she is from, to her magic. Niclays is an outcast from that same court. Tané is from a place that Virtudom stereotypes and really knows nothing about. Loth may be from the court, but he’s about to learn a whole lot about what he doesn’t know about the people who supposedly worship The Nameless One.

I love when the structure of a story supports its thesis. God, Samantha Shannon you are a genius.

I fully expected this story to be told mostly by Sabran, so seeing that she doesn’t have a POV at all (at least yet) has been surprising but also refreshing. It’s clear there’s a lot we don’t know about Sabran, and I’m interested to know more.

Another thing, I knew this book would feature a relationship between Ead and Sabran (I assume those two. I know there’s a main lesbian romance), because it’s widely discussed online. Clearly this isn’t knowledge we’re meant to have at this point in the story, but the hints are definitely there.

Also. I fucking love Loth. And Kit!

One silly, tiny thing that has been plaguing me. Inys has tea. Where do they get tea from? I assume tea doesn’t grow there given the historical inspirations for various countries in this book. Obviously the tea doesn’t come from Seikii. That makes me think they have some trade with the Empire of the Twelve Lakes, which has yet to be mentioned. This is such an inconsequential thing, and I’m probably the only one concerned about the trade relationships allowing them to have tea lmao, but here we are.

East

I know this is high fantasy and not a one-for-one with historical periods, but the inspiration of Seikii seems to clearly draw from Japan’s policy of Sakoku, aka their period of isolation wherein they only really traded with China and the Dutch. This is one of my favourite historical time periods, and not one I’ve seen shown in fantasy before, so that has been great for me, a former history major.

Oddly, one of the main complaints I’ve seen towards this book is that lots of people weren’t interested in Niclays’ POV. This surprises me, as I’ve really enjoyed his POV so far. He’s so whiny and grumpy, which is very valid of him considering what he’s gone through. The bit of his love story I’ve seen so far pulled at my heartstrings and had me feeling for the guy. I’m very sad he’s been captured and hope he’ll be alright. I shall miss his silly alchemical endeavours.

Okay. The way Seikii reveres their dragons is sooo interesting. The selection ceremony way very beautiful and god those descriptions of the dragons were everything. Love how the prose for Seikii is different from the West, with more watery imagery and so forth. It really helps paint a picture of two separate places and I love that.

I don’t have much to say about this part of the story yet, just that I love the prose and descriptions and how it differs from the West, and how the culture is being shown so far. Aside from that, I definitely have questions about the dragons. The West really is fearful of them and hates them, even viewing them as evil, their worship as heretical. But on Seikii they have a very peaceful and symbiotic relationship with their dragons. That contrast is interesting. Is the violent nature of some dragons due to their biological differences? Is it projection from Inys and Virtudom? Is it a consequence of how they’ve treated dragons—aka their hatred of dragons and lack of respect for means the dragons don’t respect them in turn? Dragons in Seikii seem to be sentient creatures, as in the story of The Nameless One. Could the dragons hate Virtudom for how they’ve treated them?

🍊🐉🗡

That’s about it for now!! I shall return with more thoughts :)

Ps: I FORGOT TO MENTION THE MAPS! I fucking love maps. And glossaries. And the name chart at the back is so useful. Gah. I love books that come with that sort of thing.

[mkayswritings]

WIP Tag

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.  Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have wips.

Black OPs Kim Ga On

Briggs Edward Elric

D2 Flinching

Kitsune WWX

Whumpril Day 1

Febuwhump Day 1

Whumptober 2018 insomnia (cause I never finish things on time)

Kitsune Sanji - Lore written only so far

K&H Cultivation AU that I will need to write up

 Drabble List 2 -  “I’ve never felt stronger than when you’re with me.” (I haven't plotted it out yet though)

Thanks for the tag @clawbehavior!

Tagging: Anyone who reads this, I am not for sure who to really tag lol.

[unravelingthread]

so i may have started playing a game and i am ENAMORED with these little dudes

[sparkletastic-cookiedough]

I am conflicted! Torn between good and bad!

I love stop motion animation and this is gonna have stop motion.

Tim Burton tends to do a good job directing, and he’s made movies I like.

That being said, attributing a films quality exclusively to the director is a move that I don’t really like. Film is a collaborative art, and it requires a lot of skilled individuals to work.

And Burton has directed some not good movies before as well.

It looks good from the trailers. I’m intrigued.

But…

I’m worried that the new film is going to dominate the fandom space once it’s released

I’m worried it’ll mess with the way the audience thinks of the character. That it’ll change how the musical is watched after the new film is released.

I absolutely love the musical version, and think the cartoon is pretty good.

The original film is confusing, a bit messy, but generally funny and pretty cool. It has neat effects.

Considering how recent the WGA strike was, I’m a little concerned the overall story may have problems.

There’s also this weird issue I have.

I’m really prideful over my own creative work. About two years ago, I started writing up a pitch and ideas for a reboot of the Beetlejuice tv series. This would be more in line with the musicals canon. Episodes would be animated adult comedy, but with musical numbers added.

Even though I never ended up finishing the episode screenplay, I still love my creation with all my heart.

( the reason I haven’t released some of it on Tumblr or Ao3 yet is because it’s stuff I want to use professionally. I’m in film courses at university.)

There’s so much worldbuilding. Lots of original characters, some obscure ones, and many we know and love. More original characters than would be acceptable for fanfic, but for a tv spin off would be required.

I kinda dampened down on it with school getting busy at times, and building controversial scandals on the media company that is most likely to be associated with the work.

I’ve kinda gotten distracted with other fandoms in the meantime too.

The point is, I put a lot of time into imagining my own canon for this story. Pages and pages of lore. Like 10% of a screenplay.

So it’s sorta weird to be thrust into something that goes against my canon.

Also, the release of the new movie might murder my dream of the Beetlejuice tv show adaptation of the musical. People are gonna want to see Astrid, and will be disappointed when it’s a different version of Beetlejuice at its core.

That being said, my ideas are still good. Parts of my OCs can be recycled into new projects. The basic premise of an episode can be stretched and formed into a film. Parts of it are too tied up in the lore of Beetlejuice, most parts are almost entirely original.

So in total, I am excited for the movie, but I also feel a strange amount of sadness in the death of a dream.

Thoughts on the upcoming Beetlejuice Movie sequel?

Hi! I'm a bit of a Beetlejuice the Musical first kinda person (not for any reason in terms of not liking the movie, just that I watched it a little younger than I maybe should have and the stop-motion animation really scared me 🥲)

I do need to rewatch the original movie as I've not seen it for ages, I think the trailers for the sequel are looking promising, and apparently Burton has said he's really focussed on practical effects for the movie? (IDK if that's true I haven't seen sources but it'd be cool if so)

How are u feeling about it?