#i'm not counting this as a part 3 of thoughts bc its just one main mission

[holy-reference-in-a-username]

if you have paid any attention to my ramblings on my process, you know that i tend to rethink my comics and toss out a lot of work if im not satisfied with how it turned out. so i thought id share some previews of comics that have gone unseen, and why they havent been posted (yet?) in order of how likely i am to finish and/or post them :)

(under cut bc long post)

Be nice to each other: Main 4. Tomtord/Polyworld, angst. 4 pages. Matt confronts Tom and Tord on how have been acting, accidentally compelling them into saying how they really feel.

Status: abandoned.

I drew this one quite a while ago and i still really like the dialogue and character interactions i wrote for it! vampire hypnosis is a super cool concept and im definitely going to use it in the future, but this ultimately didnt pan out how i wanted it to.

Why it's not posted: while the buildup and climax are really good, this would be a huge mess to clean up. this would require some serious work both between the four of them and on my part for writing and drawing all of that!! plus, it would totally change the relationship dynamic between Tom and Tord, possibly ending it altogether (and i still have so much i want to do with them!!!)

Ed and Edd: Eduardo, Edd, Eduardo's mother. No pairings, angst. 3 pages. Eduardo can't wait to introduce himself at school, but he's got competition for the name he chose.

Status: abandoned.

Trans Eduardo is such a good concept. imagine figuring out who you are only to find out someone else already is that. of course you're going to hate them.

Why it's not posted: two main reasons. one is that i couldn't figure out how to end the comic (a recurring theme lol), but another is that i'm still not super confident with writing Eduardo yet. ...or writing children. so kid Eduardo is a challenge.

Can't tell where you're looking: Tommatt, fluff. 3 pages. Tom isn't as sneaky as he thinks he is.

Status: on my list!

Tommatt fans, i have heard your pleas i have received your asks. it's on my list.

Why it's not posted: i had a great idea, drew several pages, thought about it, and decided it sucked, actually. it can be reworked, but my motivation did not get out unscathed.

Bad (?) Dream: Tomtord, uh.... yeah thats just smut huh. 2 pages. A bad dream for one and a good dream for the other.

Status: ???

I'm not saying SHIT.

Why it's not posted: originally, it was because i didn't want to post suggestive stuff on this blog. now, it's because i found better ways to cover the concepts in this comic. Y'all will simply have to wait and see ;)

Matt figures it out: Matt, Tom. could be Tommatt. hurt/comfort. a collection of random sketches. Matt figures out how to turn into a bat! It sucks!

Status: on my list!

I've been wanting to talk about this SOOOO BAD!!! because why would you transform in a second via a poof of smoke when it could be an hour-long painful disturbing process?! honestly could be described as hurt/comfort/hurt.

Why it isn't posted: well for one it barely counts as a comic, just random sketches and a general idea. to be fair thats how most of my comics start, but... you know. i havent worked on it in a while mainly because the characters need to solve some personal problems first.

Not tonight: Tordmatt. fluff/suggestive. 2 pages. Matt's got pointy ears again, and Tord knows what that means!

Status: on my list!

TORDMATT FANS I HAVE ALSO HEARD YOUR PLEAS! Also, yippee i get to infodump about my headcanons via a comic

Why it's not posted: unfinished, and i hit a bit of a road block. usually its in writing, but this time its in the art half! so i have no idea how to get around it yet!!!

Puberty sucks fr. imagine losing an eye: Tom, Tom's mother. no pairings. angst. 3 pages. When did Tom's eyes change?

Status: on my list!

You all remember the soul-crushing existential grief that started at the same time as puberty, right? No, just me? Huh.

Why it isn't posted: layout isn't quite what im looking for :/ also, a half-naked child on tumblr, even in a completely non-sexual context, is something i am slightly apprehensive about!

Something's wrong: Main 4. Polyworld, angst/suggestive. 20+ pages. Tom doesn't feel well. Edd, Matt, and Tord try to help.

Status: actively working on it

Oh, you guys remember that poll? Haha thats funny. Yeah i'm still working on this one.

Why it isn't posted: uh its not done yet. and also i am unsure of whether or not it will be allowed on tumblr. or whether or not i want people to speculate on my entire deal.

...and while i'm here:

Communication comic part 6: IN PROGRESS!! these idiots need to establish boundaries. all of them. i believe <3

Zombie Tord part 4: ON MY LIST! i want to get through the communication comic first :3

thank u for reading all my ramblings :D! i am so fucking excited to continue working on all of my dumb shit and i am so happy that ppl like said dumb shit

[fishii-writes]

kamariya - kenyu yukimiya

paring: yukimiya x fem!reader

au: indian/bollywood + actors

cw: not proofread, intended lowercase, reader is a dancer like in that one scene in stree, yukimiya is the male lead for the "movie", yukimiya is mentioned by his first name, lyrics from the song are in Orange and italics, just yukimiya being a simp tbh

a/n: yukimiya brainrot. my indian girlies unite frfr!!! character choice based off of this moodboard a person made and. i. i had a vision. on holiday so i skipped out studying to write this (i'm cooked). Not really my best work but I wanted to post this bc I am happy to write it! hope you enjoy!! Woah fishii double posts writing 🙀

word count: 1576

best paired with: kamariya from stree <3

“practice run,” the director calls out, gesturing for all main actors and supporting cast to join him beside the camera station. the main leads, the main couple, are no where to be found. well, it’s not a big deal, since it’s just a scene with a song and dancing.

you’re a side character, a dancer, but the main dancer of the group. of course, the female lead gets introduced at this point in the film, but all eyes are on you for a good part of this scene. on you, your body, your movements and face. so naturally, you’re nervous, to say the very least.

“hmm, seems that Kenyu isn’t here yet. well, then, [name]. you can practice once more, if you’d like. might be a good idea to practice in front of a small audience, since you seemed shy when i last checked.” the director points towards a campfire setup, where the following scenes were meant to be recorded. you nod, following the others to the area where they each took their seats.

lucky for you, the other actors, both side and supporting roles, are kind. they hype you up, telling you to take your time as you both emotionally and physically prepare to dance. its not like you can just start moving your hips to the beat of the music. besides, it hasn’t even started playing yet.

you turn so that your back is to the small audience, as they sit in a semi-circle formation. you flex your hands a couple of times, hopping up and down to get yourself ready. one breath in. one breath out.

it really is as easy as just moving your hips. what’s the worst that can happen? losing confidence isn’t an issue, you’ve got a little hype squad.

one last breath in, the tip of your toes just barely touch the floor. you’re barefoot, to maintain your balance. you push yourself up from the floor, one foot a bit higher than the other to get into the “flow”.

you want to dance, you really do. but its too quiet. too awkward. eyes are to focused on you. you’re the main attraction, yeah, but… something has to lure the audience’s eyes in. in a seductive way? not too sure about that. maybe, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

lost in thought, the start of the song being sung by one of your back up dancers snaps you out of your trance.

“o seeli peeli pa ke o balam, tod de bharam. chhod de ghabrana.”

there you go. slowly but surely, you feel your shoulders loosen and your stress melt away. or maybe you’re just too focused to notice the others started clapping along and singing the parts they know.

unconsciously, you hum the tune to the song as your arms comfortably stretch above your head, slowly slithering down your torso as your hips take turns gently jerking up on either side. while it started off a little bit still, your movements became elegant just as fast as they became comfortable and natural for you to perform. the blouse you were wearing was somewhat revealing, but it makes sense for a scene like this.

“hmmm~”

your skirt, the longer piece of your lightweight lehenga, flows freely at your ankles. its red colour contrasts the soft blue lights that bounce off of the sequences on your outfit, off of the others’ faces and gracing your gorgeous face with a blue tint.

“dil ke saare button khol de, khul ke bol de,”

you expect your voice to come out a little bit squeaky, but to your surprise, it comes out just as intended. you spin around, slightly lifting the skirt of your lehenga as you move forward. you let the light fabric drop back to your ankles, turning the audience’s attention back to you. your wrists flick in various positions, with your shoulders flexing at different angles.

“bata de tera aaj hai plan kya?”

just as you’re about to invite your back up dancers to practice with you, the actual song plays. it’s a bit annoying, but what better opportunity to practice timing? you move your hips to the beat of the song, the words almost wrapping around your wrists and guiding them to smoothen your movements, from your back to the very tips of your fingers.

“aaj bijli bhi girwani hai, fire bhi lagwaani hai-”

your breath is comfortably held in your throat for a moment, trying to correctly perform a certain move when you hear an exhale behind you.

“jo tu aa ke baby hamre saath ma…”

you brush it off, exhaling as your arms slither down your torso once more. wait. exhale? behind you?

“aa, aa, aa, aa ke…”

you can’t turn around. it’s obviously someone from the audience, but you can’t help feeling a bit nervous as someone is quite literally over your shoulder. well, whatever, you can do this.

“kamariya…”

you finally turn around, expecting to be met with one of your back up dancers. but…

but?

“hila de hilla de, hila de hilla de-”

you pause, half on your tippy-toes and leaning backwards a bit.

“hila de hilla de,”

the person now in front of you leans in, just barely whispering.

“najariya…”

and god you can’t deny that there’s a good reason he’s been casted for the male lead. you can feel his breath lightly fanning over your neck, the tip of his nose just a slip up away from touching you.

your eyes flicker to the director, and he quietly points to the camera. its on. you either have to start dancing as naturally as possible again, or retake the whole scene. with the main lead watching. you take your chance, pulling yourself to stand up straight by tugging the man’s tie. your loop it around your hand once, a somewhat playful yet hesitant smirk on your lips.

“mila de milla de, mila de milla de-”

and he seems to have gotten the gist of how you want things to go. the other actors keep singing, some whistling and others clapping to the beat of the song to set the scene that you’re tonight’s main attraction.

“mila de milla de,”

he pulls you in by the waist, one hand intertwined with yours above your head, spinning you around. in an almost comical manner, one hand rests on your lower back as he leans you down.

“kamariya…”

so this is Kenyu Yukimiya. the Kenyu Yukimiya.

this is the closest you’ve been to the male lead. and oh boy, do you wish you were the female lead for such a movie. well, this is your moment. the “audience” whistles again, while Kenyu’s supporting actor, someone who is meant to be his best friend in the cast, drags him to sit back down.

your back up dancers spread out a bit more, and the camera stops. for a moment, anyways. the director calls out for everyone to stay in their positions, as the camera crew quickly moves the camera to be directed on you. well, here goes nothing. the scene right before the female lead will be introduced, you’ve got to make your mark and show the world you talent. the camera turns back on, and the “audience” starts singing again. they start of quiet, slowly growing louder as you regain your confidence.

“hila de hilla de,”

one flick of your wrist above your head,

“hila de hilla de,”

and a slither of your arm down your waist from your other arm.

“hila de hilla de-”

and you know his eyes are on you. they follow each of your movements, almost sparkling as bright as the blue lights reflecting off of the sequences on your lehenga. but why?

“najariya…”

you hear him just barely say under his breath, over the loud music and even louder singing.

“mila de milla de,”

what’s so fascinating about your dancing that he forgets his very queue for the next scene where the female lead is introduced? hah, loser.

“mila de milla de,”

you can’t deny that you slightly slow down your movements, just to watch the way his eyes follow your hips. the way they slowly meet your eyes, a crooked smile on his gorgeous face as he fights the urge to join you to dance once more. one chance, one chance he wants with you!

“mila de milla de,”

well, fuck it. off script? barely even following the plot of this movie, at this point. he stands back up, taking your hand and spinning you around. you’re a bit surprised, you didn’t actually expect him to give into his urges and dance with you. but hey, you’re not complaining.

“ho.. haye re mera dil le le!”

he sings between his laughs, leaning in close enough for you to be able to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose with your free hand. you’re tempted to do that, just to get him flustered. you would’ve done something to get him embarrassed if the director didn’t yell out “cut!” right when the sparks were erupting between you two.

“take five minutes, then from the top!” the director calls out, letting you leave to freshen up. but Kenyu stays in place, he’s still smitten by the way you move.

“najariya…” you hear him mutter under his breath, not in a musical manner. out of genuine desire for you to stay.

maybe another time, since you’re sure his eyes are on you.

taglist: @tofumixp , @shrii-kk , @motchilyn , @starrissm , @4ngelfries , @thegolden-tigeress , @alkaisen + open (send an ask if you'd like to be added! :D)

likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated!! <3

© fishii-writes 2024

[leighsartworks216]

I Come With Knives Pt2

Astarion x gn!Tav/Reader

Part 1

I am posting this at almost 1am AND I have to get up early tomorrow to do work for class before the actual class haha I plan my time accordingly

I was going to make this chapter longer. I had an idea and I started to write it, but it just wasn't coming out like I wanted it to (bc I'm writing at 12am duh) so I'm gonna put that in another chapter

Warnings: mentions of torture, trauma, hints of paranoia, hints of self-deprecation

Word Count: 1,390

Main Masterlist

First Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist - Second Baldur's Gate 3 Masterlist

I Come With Knives Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form

After a grueling battle yesterday, you chose to give everyone a day off. It gave them time to rest aching muscles, repair and sharpen weapons, relax. It gave you a chance to bathe.

You didn't neglect your hygiene, but most of the time, once camp was set up, the sun would be dipping below the horizon. On those days, you'd run into the water, scrub the gunk out of your hair and get out, back to the safety of company before the first stars faded in. Now that you had the chance, you weren't going to squander it.

Once you were certain you were alone - an uncomfortable thought soothed only by the sun filtering in through the canopy above - you stripped down and waded into the water. It was cool, but not unpleasantly so. You wasted no time scraping the dirt and blood off your skin.

Once you cleaned your body within an inch of its life, you ducked your head under the water and scrubbed at your hair and scalp. It was disgusting - you could only imagine the smell your companions had put up with this last week. You were just so happy you were clean. Your hair was smooth as water soaked it through, no knots or clumps of blood to be found. As you squeezed out the excess water, you caught your reflection between the ripples. In moments where it stilled enough, you could see the scar on your neck. It was still deep and prominent, but it was beginning to heal. It'd never healed before.

"Enjoying yourself?"

You nearly shrieked when you turned, sinking into the water up to your neck for protection. Astarion chuckled at your reaction.

"Would it kill you to stop sneaking up on me?"

"I was practically stomping like an ogre, dear, it's hardly my fault you weren't paying attention." You shot him a glare, but it was half-hearted. It was your fault you let your guard down. In the day, you were safe from (most) vampires, but there were any number of things ready to attack at any moment. "Mind if I join you?"

You shake your head, but you're already wading to shore to grab your clothes. "No, go ahead. I'm done."

"Leaving already?" You nod, not making eye contact. "I won't look, darling, if that's what's got you so flustered."

You pause mid reach for your shirt as he removes his, placing it haphazardly on a rock by the water's edge. His pants came next and you looked away until you heard the water sloshing around him.

"Though, I don't mind if you look," he teased, sparing one last glance over his shoulder before he got to work cleaning himself.

Gods, if he could hear the way your heart raced... You peek over, just a glance, before you look back at your clothes. But then you're looking again.

An intricate scar of circles, lines, and curved symbols marred his back. You feel your throat close just looking at it. You'd been forced to watch spawn and slaves alike punished by the cracking of a whip. Forced to keep your eyes forward by a hand on your jaw as the leather snapped and tore into their skin. This was worse. This was deliberate.

"Did..." You swallow, forcing your voice not to crack with the sorrow you felt for him. "Did your master do this?"

He hummed, continuing to wash his arms as though you'd asked him about the weather. The only hint it bothered him at all was the way his muscles tensed and the disdain in his voice. "Cazador," he spat. "He considered himself quite the artist and used his slaves as a canvas." His movements slowed to a stop. "He composed and carved that one over the course of a night. He made... a lot of revisions as he went."

You couldn't stop staring. Your mind kept replaying the torture you witnessed, but it replaced their cries with Astarion's voice. You hated to be so lucky. To be so fortunate that your master wanted you to look absolutely perfect and unmarked. You never received physical punishment. You were too precious.

"I'm sorry," you whisper, shakily. "If I could, I'd..." What? Remove the markings forever? Take away his pain and suffering? Go back and change everything so he never had to be a puppet? You couldn't do anything. You can't help. You can't remove that pain. All you can do is witness the aftermath.

He sighed and ducked his head so he could wash his hair. Drops of water slid down his back, only drawing your eyes in further. “It won’t matter when we get to Baldur’s Gate. I’m going to kill that bastard for everything he did to me.”

You know you should leave. Put on your clothes and slink away. But… being around Astarion isn’t entirely unpleasant. You’re still a little scared of him - of what he could do, but you trust him enough to believe he wouldn’t do those things. He probably understood your plight better than anyone else.

So, you slide down into the water until you’re resting on your knees in the silt. It doesn’t quite cover your neck unless you duck deeper in. You want to hide the scar, the damn mark showing everyone else who - or rather, what you belonged to. But it felt wrong to try hiding it when Astarion was fully showing you his.

“I never asked who your master was.” He turns his head slightly, eyes just barely catching sight of you. He did promise he wouldn’t look, after all. “Where she…” He waved a hand noncommittally and scowled. “Rules.”

Her eyes flash in your mind, wicked and burning. You almost flinch just thinking about them. When you speak her name, your voice trembles. “Kir Parthene. I… don’t remember where she lives. It’s been years since I’ve even been outside - I must have forgotten.”

He slowly turns, giving you time to tell him to turn back again, but you don’t. You watch him through a fog of memories. “How long were you enslaved?”

It’s harder to answer than you thought it would be. Time begins to blur when you can’t tell if it’s night or day, when everything is fuzzy and incoherent because you never had enough blood to think straight. Sometimes she’d feed and then leave you for days. Others, she never wanted to stop feeding - drinking from you morning and night before you ever got a chance to recover. You were a slave to her hunger - time never mattered.

“I was… 16 when I was taken.” You wrap your arms around yourself. Safe. “I don’t even remember home. My parents… I’m all alone.”

He’d never heard your voice so small before. You weren’t the most demanding leader, but you could still bark commands when things were getting rough. You even held yourself well in conversation, shutting down lopsided deals or uncomfortable topics with all the authority of a royal guard. It was easier, seeing you like this, to imagine your life in servitude. Meek and quiet.

“That’s not entirely true.” He kneeled in the silt a few feet from you, smirking. “You have us for as long as this adventure lasts, as long as we don’t transform into tentacled Mind Flayers.”

“And then after that?” He shifts uncomfortably at the question. “Everyone will go their separate ways, and when you do I’m a sitting duck. I’ll be captured again. Used again.”

You trail off, but the weight of your words sit heavy. You’ll never be free. You could help everyone else with their quests, help them free themselves from what ties them down, help them get stronger - but the same couldn’t be done for you. Without knowing where your master lives, there’s no way to seek her out and kill her, too.

The water is too cold now. The cool summer breeze only freezes you more. Astarion watches as you get up and slink back over to your clothes. He looks away before he can see anything you wouldn’t want him to. In no time at all, your clothes are back on and you’ve pulled on your boots. But before you walk away, you turn to him. Your eyes are so sad.

“Thank you. For… showing me.” He says nothing. So you head back to camp. Alone.

---

Tag List:

@satelliteapotheosis

@hypopxia

@flsalazar

@beverlybeav

@angelofthorr

@emiemiemiii

@marina-and-the-memes

@lynnlovesloki

@aurasyn

[krchar]

aaaahhhh thank you for the tag @lumiy-a <333

so let's do this

Fanfic Writer Interview!

1. How many fics do you currently have on AO3?

six :)

2. Top 5 fics by kudos:

Given the number it is, of course, most of them :D But:

The Flute

Of Custom and Flaws

The Scar in His Hand

The Truth in the Garden

Behind the Scenes

3. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, because I am so happy about them, comments are just so great to read, someone takes time to react to my crap, which I love deeply, it is so great to talk with them about their points and feelings and observations, commenters are awesome.

4. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Is it an angsty ending, if the whole thing was angsty..? But I generally tend to search for hope..

Of those on AO3 I'd say The Flute sort of.. (rather searching some serenity in angst). But I used to have one much harsher on fanfiction.net years ago for a different fandom, even if there, too, was some very f*cked up thread of hope

5. What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Of those actually finished, it may seem weird, but to me The Scar in His Hand was an ending that just made me happy and hopeful if that counts

Ok but to be fair Behind the Scenes ends with an overdose of fluff

6. Do you write crossovers?

Not really so far :/

7. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not really, some of my blorbos are sexually active and happily so, but it is just hinted at, I never got there

8. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I dont really know about such occurrence :)

Wow now I'm thinking, I googled my name like everyone, but I never googled my fics :O

9. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Some years ago someone translated my fun one-shot (on fanfiction.net) into Russian and put it on some other server (they asked for consent). Meanwhile, I have deleted the fic for reasons, but the translation may be floating somewhere over the internet

10. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes, years ago we wrote two different fics with a real-life friend :) We used the strategy of dividing characters for each of us to write. It was great, but we did not finish either of them hehe

11. What's your all time favorite ship?

Ok I know what this blog looks like now, but to tell the truth, I started to ship Himerish/Yarr about half a year ago (it was quite some explosion, yes).

I shipped and ship a lot of pairs (and some threes), but I don't think I ever had like THE ONE

12. What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Probably the LoTR fic of which I wrote just a part like in 2013, where I shipped Éeowyn and an OC dwarf-woman (I made her a daughter of Dwalin and she journeyed on her own (and without permission) to save her uncle Balin, bc they had no messages from Moria :(( but she got stuck in Rohan. It was pre-canon.)

13. What are your writing strengths?

Uhh.. ok self-appreciation time..

I dont know if mirroring yourself in characters is weakness, or strength, but it might bring some positives..? Like relatability hopefully..?

And I like to explore stuff.. imagining weird situations, overthinking headcanons to fill in the lore.. and such :)

14. What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes in search of vocabulary my head starts to boil, so language, English is not my first.. also I think i am sometimes too dramatic. And sometimes I have doubts if I am not talking about stuff that is too heavy and that I do not actually understand.

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

So only by reading answers by previous posters I get that this means like other than the main language of the fic..? I never did that.. why not really, look I like LoTR and its linguistic variety, and I like all the weird sounds in Star Wars, and Im a nerd for all the sounds that real people make, so go for it people, it's fun

16. What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for but want to?

hmmmMMMmmmm... technically I've written for LoTR, but not enough.

17. What's your favorite fic you've written?

Ohhh... ok this is difficult.. I think I'll go sort of neutral and choose sentiment reasons, and will say my very fist fic, which I wrote in Czech, when I was about 14, it was just this silly fun about an OC in HP, red-headed girl, of course, and with some cool features like high tolerance to cold and alcohol

Ok now I should tag someone! So, I think I will tag @aniriargyle, if it's ok..? :) who writes for fandoms regrettably unknown to me, but who wrote me some really nice comments on AO3 <3

[astralartefact]

Placeholder Name for Atarase's Media Diary

Extra Entry 00a - Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker 6.X Patch Series

Synopsis

The Gang Solves a Demon Crusade

The Gang Learns of the Messiest Divorce in the Multiverse

The Gang Ruins their Academic Reputation by Absolutely Botching the Only Interview Humanity Will Ever Have With Their Gods (Gone Wrong) (Gone Blasphemous)

The Gang Does Side Quests at the Other End of the Universe

i wrote this ages ago before dawntrail came out and forgot to post it but i still agree with what i wrote so have fun experiencing some hindsight <3

How much did I know before playing?

I'm playing this game since the end of Heavensward.

Did I like it more than I expected?

As seemingly one of 5 people with healthy expectations in this community I actually did.

Except for---

Since I liked it, here's what I hated about it

Eulogia. Fuck Eulogia. Way to ruin, like, everything.

Who wrote this. I just have some questions. I want to know if you ever once thought, like at all. For your own sake, dear writer responsible for this shlock, I hope YoshiP never reveals your name to the public for you already have a spiritual nemesis that will badmouth you to his absolutely non-sizeable internet audience.

Also, I guess searching for a Pictomancer glam in preparation for Dawntrail also has made me once again aware that the designs for magic armor in this game suck ass, you know I enjoy the subdued but still magical vibe of the art design but to be quite honest I thoroughly dislike most of the armor aesthetic. How are you guys, especially male characters, maining magic jobs with only like 3 glams that aren't long, ugly and/or feminine robes, I knew it was a meme but it's really that bad.

The worst part really is that there's several dozen good outfits where you can literally see the line where the top should have ended - only for them to still extend the cape all the way to the ground for no good reason making the entire piece look like shit. pls yoshi p just loosen the glam restrictions so you just have to have the class unlocked at that level to glam it onto every other class q_q that would take a minimal amount of effort and it would solve world hunger i swear it would q_q

What did this game make me think about?

The place of Redemption, Accountability and Forgiveness in our current age and its relation to our relationship to Religion.

And just so you're aware it's not the fucking God Exodus Story Line that made me think about any of that, no, that shitty story line has not thought a singular second about any of those points.

Specific Impressions that will stick with me

As much as I hate the story of Myths of the Realm the presentation slaps as always, the raids are gorgeous and Soken does what Soken do. (I'm value neutral on the Raid's difficulty or whatever the community decides to care about these days)

The Left Ending of Sil'dih with the tea table surrounded by flowers (i think it's the left one?) that place is so fckin pretty q_q and i love nanamooo

Outstanding Audio

Basically all of Myths of the Realm except for the Final Boss theme which I hate on principle because Fuck Eulogia

hurts bc dawn of a new era is was my favorite ff14 theme q_q

Troian Beauty in D Minor i don't think it's d minor

Favorite Character

KRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE does she count she's barely in it

Nophica with a Gun (the Nophica that wasn't ruined by Myths of a Realm)

Paper Menphina

My Hrothgar Barbariccia OC I wrote to be my wol's shard of the void

And I did like Zero!

Favorite Arc/Story Line

I liked the Void Arc, I know People are big mad about it but I think it's fine! I only think it should have been optional, basically exactly like Stormblood's Four Lords, a Trial Series with a few Dungeons in between - then it wouldn't have had the burden of leading right into Dawntrail (a contrast so stark they couldn't even have tried to smoothen the transition) and people wouldn't have expected Zero to stay immediately relevant too.

Also some of the minor-ish quest lines were cute :)

Favorite Set Piece

I love Lymllaen's arena, it's kind of simple but so effective.

The final trash mobs in Thaleia :)))

Really cool Area with interesting mob design :)))))

A glimpse of what could have been :)))))))))) HOW IS THE FINAL TRASH MOB AREA PRETTIER THAN THE FINAL BOSS ROOM

Favorite Scene

Zero giving Golbez the chance to repent.

Best Performance (I played with JP voices)

AEGISU OBU HARUONE!!!!!!!!!

every single one of the gods was great, but not all of them, if you catch my drift (get it, fuck eulogia)

German Localization Notes

If you know me you know that I think the German FFXIV Localization is better than the English one and it still is and it will continue to be. I gladly pass on meme-y item descriptions if it means that I can expect the translation to not just write whatever it feels like at any given moment. (also, as I have expressed before I can't stand english olden speech writing, thank god the german tl doesn't do all that)

--- ENTERING THE PRETENTIOUS SECTION OF THIS ENTRY ---

What about this game gives me Hope for the future of gaming?

I have nothing really to say, I'm just so excited for Pictomancer you guys, every time I think about it I'm flushed with immense joy. I didn't think they would do it, but it's real. It's actually happening.

I guess what gives me Hope about that is that Yoshi P didn't get too lost in FF16's Fantasy Realism, because drab fantasy aesthetics is truly the worst outcome of lore culture.

What about this game makes me scared for the future of gaming?

You see, there is this thing that has happened since the common consciousness has deemed that Shadowbringers is indeed that good and it's that people kind of immediately turned around to say, that actually, FF14 - WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BAD BAD STORMBLOOD WHICH IS BAD!!!! - has always been good.

After all Heavensward had that one quest line we all liked, remember, and the one dude died and we all really cared about him, right right right???

And while you are allowed to picture me dismissively pointing at your copy of Heavensward while I'm saying this I don't actually have that big of a take over Heavensward, mainly because I'm not particularly interested in reexamining it since I'm still not over how wildly that writer fumbled FF16's entire narrative point for 'emotional storytelling' or whatever that ending was about, the only thing I will say is that People always bring up the death as this big meaningful thing that's so impactful and how dare you not care about it as if Heavensward hasn't had two other pretty essential characters die for absolutely no good reason apart from conveniently getting rid of a character that would be a hassle to keep up with or setting up character development for another.

Anyways, the problem I actually have was that middle bit, the text in bold where people feel this insistent need to point out that they do indeed know that Stormblood's story is "bad."

But we all know that. It's one of those opinions everyone already shares with each other, because it's pretty obvious. Literally everyone, even and especially the ones who still like it, know that the story leaves at least a little bit to be desired - because different from what certain people online try to make you believe most people are indeed critical of the things they like. A lot of people just don't feel like loudly critizising every little thing they have a problem with, especially when overall they're still enjoying themselves. Some people call it being fun at a party. And if you're constantly nagging, you're not fun at a party - it's not a safe space full of snowflakes, you're just a complainer and that's why nobody wants to talk to you.

It's not that insightful to see that Stormblood didn't quite do it. If you were alone with him in a room even Yoshi-P would admit that Stormblood 'wasn't optimal' or whatever he would say, he's not that stupid, he's just professional enough not to throw his writers under the bus just to bad mouth his own product. And yet there's this certain subset of people that really really needs you to know that the expansion where they cried because that one guy they shipped their oc with died is really really good and yet the other one that's split in half for no reason is really really bad - as if it's something that's needed to be said. As if it's Insightful Commentary we all needed to hear.

I will make this sound more dramatic than I think it really is, but I think the critical reception of Shadowbringers has emboldened the FFXIV community to take their personal (emotional) reaction to a piece of media as proof that a thing is good. I think some link between "I liked it" and "It is good" has been strengthened in some people's minds and some of those people have started to use that for bad by using it as a weapon upgrade in the usual endless complaining about things everyone agrees is bad.

Basically, This thing is Bad has become This thing is Bad, unlike the thing which is clearly Good because I liked it (and look, everyone agrees with me)

Except of course you can like bad things. The Game Awards nominated FF16 for Best Narrative.

And that just makes for repeated situations where people will say shit like "but it's so good because it's bittersweet" about Myths of the Realm - which, great, happy you had an emotional response to all of that - but that's also kind of the bare minimum you should achieve when you decide to kill off characters that are so important to the setting you choose a diety for your character before you choose a name. The Twelve Leaving being sad is Basic Empathy, to me that's not some kind of writing success.

Sadly whoever mangled this sad excuse for a storyline also decided to make sure the exodus of the Twelve somehow left less impact on the game world than fucking YoRHa:Dark Apocalypse and there you people keep complaining about it despite it being a cross-over storyline where something like that shouldn't be expected.

What I want to make clear by pointing this out is that the problem with that isn't that people like something that's bad actually - you can like Myths of the Realm, it's fine - and it's not even something more profound sounding like 'people become "too attached" to a piece of media to the point of being personally insulted when it's critizised.'

Because to that point I say a) of course people feel weird when a thing they like is being bad mouthed that's just a normal human reaction (you know, one of the things art is about, you generally create something to be reacted to) and I don't like how that continually crops up as a rebuttal to people becoming "defensive" over "something meaningless" (nice way to refer to art btw) as if growing attached to a piece of art is something to be ashamed of - and also b): people on the internet overstate the value and necessity of public critique. (not saying it's not important but some people seem to think only their critique alone is the sole way a creator can grow which... i regret to inform you that unsolicited advice is rarely as helpful as you would like it to be, even if it is "correct".)

I think the problem is that these 'criticisms' don't come out of a genuine "empathy" for the thing they like - unlike some people seem to have convinced themselves - because if that was the case maybe we would actually get not necessarily a productive discussion - none of us is working on this game after all (and honestly it's okay to stop pretending that somebody who does listens) - but it would be a more interesting one for sure. I can't tell you what to like (as much as I would love to), but I can encourage you to have more meaningful introspections into what you love than to blindly accept those tired talking points everyone is repeating at nauseam.

And with more meaningful I don't actually mean 'deep' it just means being honest to yourself and your feelings, even and especially if it is something completely mundane.

Because I think a lot of this is the opposite - this is people parroting common points about the thing that is popular to be part of the in-group with as little personal stake as possible - and by punching down on the out-group you can strengthen your place in the crowd, your social capital. It's bullying masquerading as 'valid criticisms', or maybe even Nerd Populism. if only we had an alliance raid series about that.

The Ramble Section where I get to actually talk about what I thought about

I would love nothing more than to 'valid criticism' all over Myths of the Realm - but that would take 15 pages of a Google Doc and I think down here is really not the place.

It's just sad to see the Twelve, Aglaia, Euphrosyne and 3/4ths of Thaleia be absolutely wasted for a shitty resolution that spits in the face not only of our beloved made-up history facts known as Lore but also the entire premise of ARR to Stormblood. But hey, at least it's bittersweet am i right

Anyways, let's Ramble about Ancient Greek Pronounciation.

I haven't had Ancient Greek in School (I could have, but Latin was already old and boring enough for me, thanks) so I had to scrape together how to pronounce Euphrosyne just so I can be annoying about it and as much as I want to say Oi-pro-sü-neh (I think English Speakers don't have the german ü sound, it's basically the same as in the french word rue) because it's much easier to pronounce, Ancient Greek makes a difference between Eu and Oi and I fail to understand how the Eu sounds no matter how many times I listen to it.

By which I mean, you can pretend it's You-froze-a-knee as much as you want, it's wrong and you sound foolish.

[cios-correct-opinions]

post here

DISCLAIMER BEFORE ANYONE SAYS OR ASSUMES ANYTHING ABOUT ME: i am not a proshipper. i am not an anti. i do not use any shipping discourse labels because i've been actively traumatized by both communities and have no desire to put that label on myself. i am just a person capable of critical thinking who enjoys analyzing media sometimes. i do not condone harassment over fiction, and i also do not believe any form of media is free from critical analysis or criticism, especially if it includes harmful propaganda and/or portrayals of marginalized peoples/societies which serve to perpetuate or legitimatize a pre-existing societal bias. do not call me an anti. do not call me a proshipper. do not assume things about me in bad faith. ive got no time for that and ill block you if you do this.

i actually think i kinda have a grasp on what's being said here so lemme explain this bc this is kinda how i feel? i'm gonna explain as best i can since its nearing 3 am and im a lil tired. forgive me if i dont explore every angle of nuance here btw again im tired but the adderall is in my blood so.

ahem.

my main talking point is this: there is a difference between exploration of something, which can include varying depictions and portrayals of a subject, vs propaganda for something, which has the intent of swaying you towards one side or away from one side or blah blah blah you know what propaganda wants to do i'm sure

exploration of dark and taboo subjects such as CSA/SA/abuse in general, paraphilias, mental illness, incest, so on and so forth - especially when done by survivors of those things - are almost never propaganda, no matter how they're being portrayed. someone using fictional characters within a fictional context to cope with their own trauma is, 99.9% of the time, not trying to endorse that behavior in real life. they also often assume the people reading it will understand that they the creator are not trying to endorse that behavior in real life.

example: most people who create fiction based off the mafia do not actually want to be mobsters, nor do they think others should be, nor do they endorse the real life mob, even if their portrayals can sometimes be problematic in other ways and/or contribute to certain problematic societal ideas about gang violence esp when committed by white people, but that's an entirely different issue than the one at hand and has more factors in play.

a deeper example: while a work of fiction can definitely reveal certain creator biases and/or how the creator feels about certain topics, it doesn't mean that every detail in the fiction is weighted the same way. someone may have clear biases towards, for example, women, in their work based on how they write their female characters, but not condone murder in that same work just because murder is part of the plot and/or is framed as a net positive in the storyline. you can have a work which clearly shows a creator's true feelings or thoughts or philosophies or what-have-you on one topic, but not on another, within the same work. learning which of these is true and when is a learned skill. i can't tell ya to do it myself as i am not a teacher

despite it seeming like it should be easy, on the other hand, spotting propaganda can actually be really fucking hard. i am not here to talk about how to spot propaganda, and perhaps will reblog this at a later date with links on how to do that as i am too tired to both write this and look for reliable resources on doing that, so if you want that for now, sorry, you gotta search elsewhere. however, this difficulty often leads to the main conflict i see online:

people believe that an exploration or portrayal of a dark/taboo subject or a subject which contains something that is immoral or illegal in real life, which does not outright condemn that thing, and/or appears on a surface level to be a "positive" portrayal (air quotes bc what counts as positive changes depending on who you ask) even when made by real-life survivors of the thing being explored, is the exact same as propaganda meant to push the emulation of that thing or behavior in real life, by real people, to real people/others/whatever.

this is the issue i and others keep running into online, over and over and over again. people are unable to tell the difference, they are unable to tell the target audience of a work, they are unable to understand why someone would make something a certain way, and ultimately the material upsets/triggers/disgusts/bothers/etc them, and all of this leads to them treating the first group of media like the second. because of that, they assume those creating that content are encouraging its real-world application and that the creators think these actions are okay, or that they will/want to/have perpetrated those acts in real life as well. once they've decided this, it's essentially impossible to convince them otherwise

ignoring the fact that you cannot make these assumptions about a stranger online in good faith literally ever, this is a huge problem. a nazi creating propaganda indoctrination white supremacist fantasy fiction material is nowhere near the same as a CSA & SA survivor creating works of dark fiction/art to cope with their trauma, but a lot of people consider it one and the same because they literally are incapable of seeing the difference. they can't analyze either work by either creator, and are unable to see how the nazi's fiction is different from the survivor's. even if the subjects portrayed in the works are different, too

these people will also insist that any humanization of a villain they deem "bad" or "problematic" enough - which, again, is dependent on who's making those decisions and not any kind of clear standard - means that the creator condones/believes/enjoys those things the villain does, and people who enjoy that character also condone/believe/enjoy those things the villain does. the ultimate irony of it all, of course, is that these people are consuming the exact same media with the exact same characters and exact same story and exact same plotline as the people they are attacking, and many of those people also enjoyed that media. they just seem to think because they enjoy blorbo blingus The Good Guy(tm) instead of zorbo zingle The Bad Guy(tm), that makes them morally superior instead of, yknow, just someone with a different opinion who is reading/watching with a different lens than someone else

obsession with moral purity, moral superiority, and in general an abstract concept of morality, is what has ultimately led us here. in an attempt to be seen as "acceptable" by the masses of the world - regardless of whether they participate in fandom or not - for whatever reason one has, has led some of us to turn on each other within fandom spaces

fear of predatory abusers lurking in the shadows, as well as an inability to actually identify the signs of a predatory abuser caused by a society whose goal is largely to protect those same predatory abusers, as well as a sadly large and growing number of victims of abuse growing up online and sometimes being abused and/or preyed on online (as i myself was) who thus are hypervigilant for this sort of thing due to their own trauma, has all led to a willingness to attack and destroy anyone we think might possibly maybe sorta kinda be a little suspicious without a second thought to the actual probability of that person's guilt, as well as the inability to stop and ask ourselves what we're really doing when we attack people over fictional portrayals of things as well as whether or not these fictional hypothetical transgressions are truly worth destroying someone's livelihood and life over or whether they're something we can simply block and ignore and not worry about

simply liking or disliking something in media has become a source of literal panic attacks for a lot of people because they drive themselves mad looking for a "good, moral, logical reason" to like or dislike something rather than just accepting it for what it is

our lack of understanding combined with an unwillingness to be open to the possibility of alternative interpretations for anything has driven people to commit atrocities. someone is literally dying right now because of it. actively dying. will die soon. because of antis deciding their creations meant it was okay to lie about them being a pedophile (they weren't), get them fired from their job due to these false claims, resulting in them losing their health care, which has 4 years down the road, resulted in their eventual death.

we. must. do. better.

[roseworth]

For the zombie au, is there like a cure thing at the end? And also which death counts like the ones that officially died post-crisis before being retconned in rebirth? Or like every death in dc history? And just the characters that died and came back or died and are canonically still dead (or because the writer forgot they existed) but in this au they're back?

(context) hehe thank you so much for asking <3

there is a cure at the end! at first in my head it was an elseworld so i was gonna make there not be a cure but then i switched the story to just being a main universe thing so it does not end with everyone dying 😔 i wont get too into how it happened but basically nika (flatline from robin 2021) sorta accidentally causes it and the way to stop it is to kill her (#rip sorry about ur gf damian)

for the most part, any death that happened post-crisis counts, mostly because of infinite frontier "everything is canon if you want it to be". ie cass died in batgirl 2000 but she stopped existing with the new52 then was recreated in rebirth, but she would still be a zombie bc of her death in post crisis continuity (ps i know spirit world re-canonized her death but i'm using her as an example anyway bc its easy lol)

on the other hand. kara's death does not count. mostly because her death was pre-crisis and the current kara zor-el is not the kara zor-el that died. also clark and kon are both zombies (would that be it for the supers ??? i dont know details of superman characters as much so idk if there would be another big problem) so having one less Unbeatable Force in the mix is a little easier to deal with. basically: deaths count if i personally want them to count but they dont if i dont

characters that havent explicitly come back are still dead </3 if dead people came back it would basically just be blackest night with extra steps so no dead people rising, just living people dying. so like eddie bloomberg, who died in post-crisis (then came back just to die again in heroes in crisis), is still just dead and not a zombie

i hope that answered ur questions, thank you so much for letting me talk about this bc its been consuming my thoughts all day fhdsajfahsdf 😚

[honshew]

thoughts on bg3

overall, i had a lot of fun and would recommend to anyone interested! very ambitious game, and i'm amazed it exists tbh. there are so many really, really great aspects of it. however, i'm also glad to be done with it, bc i started to have less and less fun with it at the last part. which is an unfortunate place to have the worst part of the game. i really wish it wrapped up in a more satisfying way, because i became really attached to the characters and the incredibly detailed world. a shame it had to be rushed toward the end of development. it's incredible, though could have been more still.

i'm spending some time trying to figure out what i liked about the game, so this may or may not be updated as thoughts come to me. there will be spoilers all the way thru the end of the game so here's your spoiler warning

i think while people unfamiliar with dnd can play and still have a good time, it probably will feel overwhelming and there will likely be things you won't understand unless someone explains it to you. i can't even really call the tutorial a bad one as much as it's barely there. but i do know plenty of people with zero dnd experience still having fun and simply enjoying learning on the go!

on the other hand, being someone who plays dnd, once you figure out the interface it's a pretty smooth experience. there are some things that are a little different to accommodate how the game works (e.g. second-story work reduces your fall dmg rather than increasing your climbing speed, since the game doesn't really count climbing as distance), but those are pretty quick to learn. seems to me that the devs thought people who didn't play dnd wouldn't be all that intersted in bg3, but a ci'd be curious to see how many bg3 players will look for a dnd group to join from here.

act 1 was solid and was paced well. i really liked how many characters ended up showing up later in the game, as opposed to characters you save once and never see again. i think what was most fun was getting to know what i could get away with LOL not just an exploration of the world, but an exploration of the game itself. i have video of me talking to auntie ethel while my friends set up and set off a circle of flame barrels, so i got a front row seat of her being blown to smithereens.

act 2, also solid. i really enjoy quests that involve impacting a place in a really tangible way, like in okami, so the shadow-cursed lands were pretty cool. unfortunately, the game doesn't really show you this happening except a liiiiittle bit at the end, so it doesn't feel as good as it could. still, i liked exploring the area a lot. all of the mini-bosses of the area were unsettling, but we got past literally all of them via high charisma rolls. actually aside from the exploring, a lot of the fun was seeing how we could cheese boss fights, which carried into act 3

act 3 felt way more all over the place and buggy, which significantly lowered my enjoyment. ofc a game this massive will have issues, but i'm still sad that the last part of the game where everything crescendos is where i enjoyed the game the least. small things not working the way they're supposed to (e.g. certain npcs not running or climbing up a ladder when they are fleeing I'M TALKING TO YOU ZUMBO PUMBO AND FEATHERWEIGHT FALSON, astarion falling sleep to a spell even tho he's an elf during his end-of-quest fight). what sucks about things being so frustrating too was that the main quests had really great setups or concepts, but the execution was messy. still, we had a lot of fun messing with bosses. cazador couldn't do anything bc he was forced to dance while we killed him, orin was disintegrated, gortash turned to stone. kinda wild having a bard with 100% spell hit rate....!

i do wish we got to explore baldur's gate more. i totally get that would be a huge undertaking tho. i had a thought that maybe act 3 should've been its own game, but then i guess you couldn't call it baldur's gate 3 if you never get to baldur's gate. i didn't play the previous bg games, but i liked how they wove in the story from the previous installments and ttrpg modules without leaving newcomers to the series out of the loop too much.

i liked shadowheart's, astarion's, and wyll's quests a lot. the ansur part of wyll's was really cool. i adore trials to test character as a setup, especially ones administrated by some major figure. but also? fuck balduran for what he did to ansur and later to me. he's the city's hero, but he only really looks out for himself. which is cool for me as a viewer, not cool for the character i play as LOL

i have more thoughts but i will type them up here later maybe this has gotten long enoguh

[autisticempathydaemon]

i love these little match ups!! you're such an angel for doing them they're literally adorable <3

song im fixated on: Persephone in the Garden by Aidoneus. first off i'm a sucker for hades and persephone and this song is written as if it's from his point of view sooo. but the part "you assumed that i could make you feel it was worth it/but all i ever did was drag you down" it's so powerful it makes me want to scream

my enneagram 4w5 hehe (also an INFJ which is... predictable)

childhood imaginary friend: omg i had a lot of imaginary friends growing up but my main one was this girl named alison and we would do everythinggg together. she was everything i wanted to be and more, kind, sweet, pretty, and just such a cool girly

go to sleepy time routine: i'm the kinda person who needs to make up a little scenario in my head. it helps me to get my mind off the day and to stop overthinking everything bc i'm thinking about my lil story hehe

changing my name: i think my name suits me really well tbh i don't think i would change it

fav audio: i <3 comfy cozy easy videos so like davids hoodie video or literally any sleep aid from any of them, i love the domestic boys

boy that doesn't hold appeal: tbh i love every single boy in their own way, truly i don't have a least favorite. but i probably get the least hype about vincents audios, i still love him dearly though, i'm just not AS attached

book/movie/tv show i know the words to: the hunger games omg i was so obsessed when i was younger and i've recently been rereading/rewatching and i really do know every. single. word.

which boy do you wanna be besties with: i would give anything to be best friends with ash he is such a cool dude. i feed off his energy so easily and he just creates such a safe space to be silly and laugh and i love him for it

sleepy ramble: my ramble is also definitely space. when i'm tired i start thinking about the logistics of existence and space and science and the world and i just go off on tangents

gas station combo: raspberry iced tea, bbq chips, and reeses hehe

fav playlist: one i made with one of my close friends, its perfection and i get new music out of it all the time

guilty pleasure media: idk if it counts but i do unironically love hallmark movies which usually gets a reaction out of ppl lol, i'm a hopeless romantic and they're horribly cheesy its a perfect combo

other info: my love language is physical touch, i looove reading and writing, and i rotate my stuffed animals so they all feel loved (toy story really did a number on me ajsdkfl)

i hope you're having a wonderful day, take all the time you need to get to this <33

A lot about you- your enneagram, your MBTI, the types of audios you like- gives me the impression of someone very sweet and thoughtful, someone who spends a lot of time in their head and dreams. I think Anton would be a lovely partner for you in the way he complements that.

What I love about both these personality types is that they are introverted but in no way subdued; in that way, I feel you and Anton would be similar. There’s so much more beneath his surface than he lets on, but I think you bring that out in him, call out to the soft, gooey, loving parts of him no one else sees-

-and he would be SO adorably gooey and sweet. His voice would be the most perfect thing for you, given your preference for comfy, sleepy audios. I bet it’d be killing him to not be there to hug you or give you affection the way you’d prefer, so I can imagine him doing something really thoughtful like recording himself reading your favorite books to keep you company while he’s at ETS.

Song:

Even when we're miles apart, I have your voice but feel no touch/ You are so close to my heart, but we're far from flesh and blood/ See, in a world so full of dissonance, our harmony's a flood/ Inside my heart, I don't need cards or flying doves to feel our magic

I can’t get a read on what kind of music he would listen to, I’m not gonna lie, so I don’t know if he’d necessarily like this song, but the lyrics feel right, you know? I like how it’s formatted like an audio love letter, one he could send while he’s away.

Runner-Ups:

Morgan strikes me as similar to Anton in a lot of ways- they’ve both got this quiet, pensive nature that’s very appealing. If we were as intense and expressive as Anton, it would have been a closer call. Now, here’s the long shot. Someone sweet and charming like you would have gorgeous, dragged to the underworld, spouse of Hades vibes with Vega, okay? Just imagine it.

Note: as always, much thanks for your patience and understanding! I hope you see this and really like it (and Vega. You can imagine Imp!Vega instead if you prefer!)

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[nuwanders]

and 25. 🔥

sorry this is going to get mean

1. the character everyone gets wrong

where to start lmfao! to be fair i do think it's difficult with TES as the characters are so thin to begin with that there's naturally going to be greater scope for interpretation, but i'm just going to answer this question with the assumption that my opinions are objectively correct <3

some of the worst i think are delphine, astrid, nazir, martin (!), lucien, and cicero, big names in fandom and usually from either the main or dark brotherhood questlines (the DB by its nature tends to attract the annoying edgelords. some very cool people also, but you know what i mean... welcome to my twisted mind etc)

without repeating what has been said already by others, a more minor NPC who i feel gets misinterpreted a lot is muiri. she's not portrayed very often but when she is, fans lean too hard into the idea that she has this bloodthirsty, sinister side to her without taking the time to explore WHY someone who seems so meek and unassertive on the outside could be driven to doing what she does. muiri always struck me as someone a little young and a little foolish who hasn't really thought about her actions and is acting out of desperation. the more interesting depictions of her explore her darker tendencies with a subtler hand and take her character as a whole without isolating one trait from the rest.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

not sure whether this counts as 'common' but there's been a popular post circulating recently and it has the endorsement of some well-known blogs so i'm going to treat it as if it is. essentially the post was claiming that TES fans are guilty of ignoring parts of canon they don't like, including any and all attempts at 'grey morality', with an end product that is sanitised and lacking in nuance.

i had no idea who this post was actually aimed at but it seemed to me a classic case of ppl talking past each other about two different things. the only aspects of canon i see ppl regularly opting to discard are the bits that clearly reflect some gross attitude on the part of the writers, e.g. divayth fyr's daughters, racial phylogeny etc. people complaining about the poorly handled treatment of racism, war etc in a doyleist sense =/= people wanting to remove those parts of the lore from canon in the watsonian sense. i think it's disingenuous to treat ppl rightfully discussing the often insensitive writing as people wanting a more clear cut 'good/evil' dichotomy bc that isn't the case at all. if anything those who are the most critical tend also to be the most in favour of exploring these themes in greater depth.

nuance is good and all but one group seems to be saying "this attempt at nuance is actually ham-fisted and clumsy and not very nuanced at all" and the other is responding by saying "don't take away my nuance!!!!111!!1!!!"

but that's just my onion x

[itsgirlcraft]

Vent

TW body horror vent art (dismemberment, blood, twisted limbs), swearing, lots of caps

Tl;dr: online college reading makes my back ache and my anxiety is off the charts. I keep hyperfixating and tensing my body too much when not doing school, so I'm wasting my energy and getting bad sleep. I want to quit psychology but I fear that's the cowards way out. I'm running out of meds so I only have today and Saturday to get ~5 hrs of reading done.

I'm so fucking tired and half of its my fucking fault. This whole godamn week, actually since I started college, I've had shit ass sleep and no rest and I fucking HATE IT but I KEEP DOING IT AND

FUCK!!!

I'm sorry I know that like all of you mutuals have it hard too I don't wanna put my stupid self-sabotaging bullshit on your shoulders but hhhhhhhh. I'm seething and I can't fucking get any of this BS done and AAA I just want to REST but NOOO, I have to go play minecraft for 5 fucking hours and draw stupid shit for 3 hours and fucking waste my existence away! I haven't gotten a fucking shower in a godamn WEEK! But noooo, I can't just GET UP and do that! I have to fuck around doing bullshit that just hurts my fucking body because of my stupid negative urgency ass!!

((I react really stupidly impulsive to stress and do shit I shouldn't)) it's not even like I'm hurting myself on purpose, I'm just such a bitch I keep the cycle going and going and going and FUCK!! I swear I'm fucking trying I swear to god I hate this too but it NEVER FUCKUNG WORKS I just go a tiny bit feeling okay and them BAM the moment I am stressed or worried I go fuck off to neverland and horrifically fuck myself over!!!

((I've been hyperfixating in a...really bad way lately, more than usual. I'm not talking abt the quirky or cool shit, I'm talking my muscles tense up so bad they hurt and my wrists go numb and my fucking legs twist round each other so bad that I can barely fucking walk.)) Hhhhhhh. It's like cutting off my other leg after college has already broken the other one.

College has completely fucked me over and sent me on a stupid spiral for the millionth time but this time idk if I'll even get out of this in one piece bc this stupid hyperfixating has drained energy that isn't even THERE. I fucking spent just under 2 hours fuckibg reading 16,232 WORDS for psychology on Monday and my fucking shoulders BURNED from sitting tense at my computer and AAAA. Then I spiraled MORE Tuesday bc I didn't wanna do that AGAIN. Bc my stupid ass psych textbook is online only, and DOESNT HAVE A PAGE COUNT OR WORD COUNT! So Monday I didn't even KNOW what I was getting myself into and fucked up!! And then Tuesday I got a word counter that worked for the site and was able to FINALLY finish chapter 1 for psych only to spiral AGAIN! Because THEN I realized it'd take around 3 hours for each chapter and I have to read chapter 2 TOO for this week!

But I thought I had to do it ALL YESTERDAH bc the godamn discussion board bullshit is supposedly due on Thursdays! ((The syllabus is inaccurate, and I only got that Thursday bit from a different document. It's unclear if part 1 is on Thurs or not. The first half is making a FUCKING ESSAY with 3 paragraphs, thesis, citation, etc. And part 2 is responding to 2 people with 8 sentences and a citation but GUESS WHAT! Each response is 1 point! And the main essay/post is 8 points! Combined they're just TEN DAMN POINTS! THERES ONLY 8 WHY DO I NEED TO DO A FUCJING ESSAY?!???!))

I DID manage to do the stupid discussion on Thurs, bc I said fuck it and didn't read ch 2. But NOW I have 3 hrs of reading to do STILL. PLUS I seem to have THE SAME FUCKING AMIUNT FOR ENGKISH!!! I thought English was chill but NOOOO, it has these stupid pdf photocopies of a book and I have to take screenshots to annotate bc otherwise it's just a useless text that I can't do anything with! And it'll probably take like 2 hours to read JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER! THERES THREEE FUCKUNG CHSPTERS LIKE THIS! WHYY!! And I thought reading was GOOD AND EASY BUT NO! My fucking body is so squishy and fragile that it breaks instantly and I can't fucking read for more than an hour and FUCKKK I WISH I HAD A PAPER COPY OF THIS SHIT! BUT ITD COST MOREEEE!!

It's not even like this shits HARD TO UNDERSTAND. I KNOW THIS! LITERALKY I fucking recognize EVERYTHUNG in psych so far like is this NECESSARY?? I KNOW that reading is IMPORTANT and I should do it but FUCK!! IS IT WORTH DESTROYING MYSELF?????

And I wanna quit psych but that feels like the cowards way out bc I KNEW there'd be lots of work. I fucking knew what would come about but here I am!! In the fuckibg spiral! And I haven't said any of this to my mom bc she's tired enough and I just want to get this shit done. I feel like I'm eating my own body and health, sacrificing it, to try to do this shit that I know I probably need to give up on. But I don't wanna just STOP, I DO like psych and I wanna learn!! I WANT to be here!! But I can't fucking get this bullshit reading done and it's driving me insane!!!

AND!!! AND NOT TO MENTION MY FUCKIN MEDS!! My adhd meds are regulated heavily so I only get a month's worth but my pharmacy/doc are so unreliable when filling it that I have to assume I may not have any for a few fucking days. AND THATS A DEATH WISH IN COLLEGE!! One fuckjng day missed is MASSIVE. Even tho I'm all online and shit I CANT RISK IT, but I only have ONE!! ONE! And it's already fuckjnv 4 pm rn and I've still got 10 page for English ch 1 and then the 3 hrs psych reading and the idk 2 hrs English ch 2 reading and FUCK HOW DO I DO THIS??? And I really wanna have a chill time on Halloween so I wanna get next week done ASAP but this week's a bitch in itself and AAAAAAA!!

[live-love-laugh-lesbian]

HIII this is probably gonna be the last ask i send as your swiftie exchange anon haha! also i dont know what timezone you are but ive scheduled it for 6am gmt for tomorrow if i remember correct skdkekdfk (but also you said quid which means pounds i think so im taking a wild guess that you are somewhat the same timezone as me haha)

yep im in uni! honestly kinda harsh kakdkekxfj ive got tests on the first week back but i suppose that's to ne expected haha! it is quite stressful but like c'est la vie yk? good luck on your exams!!

oh also im so glad youre feeling better!! i hope you feel awesome soon!

oh yeahh that makes complete sense! you dont have to show them to me if you dont want to btw but once i reveal myself and you are okay w it you can dm me! (only if you want tho no pressure at all!!)

yeahh thats so real actually! people always want what they dont have and that makes me kinda sad but also im one of those people so ajdeksjd i cant really say anything abt it akfkekdjf

yeahh hypocrisy is so linked like to everyday stuff!! and what you said makes more sense than what i ever couldve ajdjejsjfn and inflation is HORRIBLE ive witnessed price of stuff like cheese go up by so much and it appals me! and that is a ridiculous difference from your phone bill!

oohh i wish i was you id love to meet my online friends!!

yeah!! like the main problem with fast fashion isnt the cheap quality (i mean perhaps it is) but also the PEOPLEEEE WHO BARELY GET PAIDD!!

thats such a thought out and good answer!! climate change and the way politicians handle shit is so real like it NEEDSS to be addressed!! and i hope you get to see your doctors!!

and same im such a pushover like i wish i could not be but alas it is but a dreamm!! i think for me what you said is basically my answer and like people being assholes and thinking theyre funny? lile people who think its okay to make offensive jokes or say a slur bc they think theyre funny annoys me soo bad!!!!! and also people who manipulate other people like ewwww and just like horrible people in general. also thats horrible!! why does anyone think its okay to do that???

hmm... honestly rename strawberries fluffleberries and making bananas rainbow sounds like an awesome idea sjdjekdn hmm this is hard kakdkdskf maybe i would replace car honks with goose honks hehe i feel like thats such a silly answer but tbf i am but a silly goose!! what about you?

and my question to you: what are some things you are grateful for (see i say things not people bc i feel like people is a very general question ajfjrjdjf but you can tell me people too if you want!!)

thank youu!! i had an awesone time chatting with you you're lovely <3

have an awesome day!!!

-swiftie spring exchange anonnnnn

Hello! My country change timezones slightly I think based on clocks, but I think we're currently BST? I can never remember, a bit embarrassing imo XD It's cool that we might be close in time zones!!

Ah I have no exams cause I'm not in uni, but I am tutoring kids for exams so does that count? XD I hope your tests go well!!

Cheap quality sucks, but it'd improve if companies were willing to give up just a teeny tiny bit of their profits...I've become so increasingly anti company over the last like 5 years I think XD And thank you!! Honestly the "offensive is funny" type is SO annoying. I've met a few that were like "uhhh it's dark humour" and I've been like. You do not have dark humour, you just want to be rude.

I did however get a cookie once from a guy who realised that I had been upset by his stupid joke (I can't remember what exactly it was, but I think it was like...either homophobic or misogynistic. The apology was nice to get because it was unexpected. Alas at the time I was unable to eat gluten so the cookie part was awkward.) And manipulation just sucks?? I feel like people get away with it a lot because it's not obviously awful until you realise what's going on.

Silly answers are encouraged for that one!! (And always tbh) XD And honestly I would get rid of sparkling water. I feel like it's like marmite - people love it or hate it. And I hate sparkling water, I literally cannot handle the texture. And one time I accidentally got some instead of regular water. The memory haunts me. So yeah I'd wind up half the world by getting rid of it altogether and just watch the chaos XD

My final answer (also I know who you are now cause of when I logged on BUT I'm gonna answer this anyways on here) would be my cats (haha not people so they slip through...not things either but not people), the way life has turned out (it's not perfect, but I'm in a much better position than I ever expected even just like 2 years ago), and my art abilities (because I like that I can draw, and draw pretty decently, it's a fun and usually relaxing hobby!)

I had the time of my life answering questions with you, and I look forwards to hopefully talking more with you!!

[wander-wren]

i was trying to avoid spoilers under the assumption that i would Eventually getting around to reading tbc and asc, but im bored and i want to watch videos about them and i probably wont read them for a long time, so i went to the wiki to see whats up!

my official take on tbc is that the concepts seem very cool, but i cant say much about the execution or smaller details ofc. ashfur being the imposter feels like a really good choice, i dont know if thats controversial, i'm like 3 years late to all this lmao but i thought i saw some posts about him not making sense.

i mean, his connection to squilf and bramblestar alone...plus, yeah, he wasn't super into the code in life, but all of the events leading to his death WERE caused by codebreaking, and with leafpool especially going to starclan after inadvertently contributing to Ruining His Life, he might get mad about it? i kinda get it. also the whole concept of him possessing ashfur is so so horrifying and sad to me and has anyone written fic about this from squilf's pov???

also, ALSO, i skimmed a light in the mist plot summary bc i was still bored but it seemed cool. i dont remember if people were mad about that when i came out, just that it was Everywhere. kudos to the erins for actually carrying a plot through six books instead of splitting it in half for the first time since, like, tpb. po3 and oots dont count bc they didnt Have a plot.

but i was trying to think about why the new gen (arcs 6-8) arent as popular/getting much attention and why the fandom is slowly falling off post-oots. which, there are a lot of reasons, but this is one of the main ones i haven't seen anyone discuss yet (tbf, again, i was avoiding spoilers until literally today, so).

like, think about the new prophecy, power of three, and omen of the stars. they all happen VERY close together and are deeply intertwined. lionblaze and jayfeather even get to be pov characters for 2 arcs instead of one! and no pov characters die! except flametail but eh!

then we get to avos. we lose needletail, what, three books in? then violetshine literally becomes a mom to one of the broken code protags, and, again, only reading plot summaries, but she Never Came Up. neither did twigbranch. alderheart did some, mostly by virtue of being a medicine cat and therefore important to the plot.

and now, in the broken code, we've lost bristlefrost. i havent gotten to a starless clan yet, that's next, but i know flamepaw/nightheart is sparkpelt's kid, and sunbeam and frostpaw are the kids of random side characters (at least, they didnt stand out to me?). i'm not saying it's inherently bad that they're not connected to the previous protags (you could argue its a positive for sure), but it's contributing to this feeling of disconnection in the new books, i think.

i DONT think we should keep doing firekin as protags. i am perfectly happy putting that line to rest. but we introduced twig and violet and needletail, those are brand new bloodlines and focusing on them instead would be really really cool.

what you did the first time worked, erins! do that again! like. they had the opportunity to decimate the clans in oots and essentially start with a clean slate for avos/tbc/asc, but they chickened out. changes to the code shouldve been FIRST. new mains unrelated to firestar shouldve been FIRST.

actually, avos did have that potential. that was Good and Correct except for the part where there were no significant culture changes and too many tnp-era cats are still around. but like, okay, firekin! we like firekin! alderheart is my BOY. he is familiar, or related to familiarity. GOOD. he brings in needletail, twigbranch, and violetshine, so they feel connected to familiarity too, rather than just "heres some kids of cats you've never heard of. care about them."

and then they just. gave us bristlefrost and shadowsight. more firekin, woo. forget about twig and violet, oh and needletail is dead btw. i'm sure everyone has talked and talked about the tragedy of finally getting a she-cat who doesnt want kits but it's TWIGBRANCH. ugh.

anyway, yeah. all the protagonists for the first four arcs were interconnected and important to each other and i'm not getting that at all with the new arcs and i think thats why its hard for me and other fans to like, care.

plus also firestar and other fan favorites died and the prequels immediately came out and stalled the continuity for a while at just the right moment when a lot of fans were poised to lose interest. and then they did. and here we are.

this isn't what i meant to make a post on but i did! woo

[atxxzist]

Hey I saw your ask before and thank you for updating and letting us view your old fics, especially blacklist! It's one of the first ones I came across this page and ever since I've been hooked on your writing bc 🤌 it's that GOOD

I was legit going to re read this fic the other day (im sorry that you don't like it as much since its old work you've posted but I'm in love with that fic:() I wish I could express more how much i loved those characters and story itself!! But your also valid to feel the way you do 😋 your work is amazing, your stories are refreshing to read, keeps people hooked and your characters are amazing. I love your plot lines and plot twists (also your smut?? Excuse me you write it so fucking great 😭 the tension, i feel it when reading and the description is top tier💙 (i know there's no smut in blacklist but the tension was amazing)

😭 u r 2 sweet and always flatter me way 2 much. also ty for always taking the time to send in these messages.

i started the blog almost a year ago and the first part to blacklist was the 3rd work ive ever put out (if counting that atrocious first fic ive written for san which ive made private so long ago and still hasnt looked at ever since) and i think i've said this before but it was never meant to be a series. idek why i made the first part so open ended 🙃 even worse, i wasn't rlly serious when i was writing the first part which is why it kind of had a very sarcastic/snarky/straightforward tone to it and y/n was very kind of judgmental but as the story went on (especially when i resumed it on chapter 3 after finishing my first series) u can see she kind of toned it down and was a lot more down to earth and not so caricaturish? i think?!

more under the cut bc i cant stop talking

sorry im just venting 😭 but as u can see, i have a lot of regrets regarding the series lollll. but i am very grateful bc many seemed to like it, so ty guys truly ❤️ i just wish i would've built a better foundation during the first chapter so i could expand on that and give the characters even more depths bc aside from y/n, seonghwa, and hongjoong, i felt like we never got to know much about the other characters. it was like they were just there to uplift the main three (even sumi didnt serve much purpose). especially seonghwa's group had a lot of potential. and u won't believe this, but at one point, i considered a loveline between sumi and san LOL just thought it would've been interesting bc of her being y/n's friend and san being a bAdBoY but seonghwa was already enough of a headache and i think it would've played out somewhat very similarly to my current series anyways so im glad i didn't.

BUT ANYWAYS! i'm so sorry for the word vomit! i remember when i got your very first message 4 blacklist, it made me so happy. ty 2 u and everyone else who loved it and i hope to one day give it the justice it deserved bc i actually love the concept. writing the series taught me a lot of things i can now apply to my newer works so they can b even better <3

have a wonderful day!

[somer-writes]

thanks rosie!! oh boy here goes XD

How many works do you have on AO3?

160 :0 granted 31 of those are whumptober and 55-ish of them are febuwhump and fluffy feb.

What's your total AO3 word count?

706.394 holy shit guys i think i have a problem

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

1 :D Linked Universe lmao bc i love plaguing a fandom

Top five fics by kudos:

Twilight Prince which still super surprises me bc its mostly just character stuff lmao

The Traveler's Landing; i had a stupid fun time writing the second chapter of this one!

Depletion; still not happy with the ending on this one but i love putting the lads at each other's throats XD

Puppysitting which both does and does not surprise me XD

Sacred Shadows which *really* surprises me bc its so brief lmao

Do you respond to comments?

Absolutely!! i treasure every single comment i get plus i want to do my part to foster an interactive and wholesome fandom <3

What's the fic with the angstiest ending you've ever written?

It's Lashings which is Twi Torture (literally): the Fic and will be getting a follow up once i find the beans to write it

Do you write crossovers?

i do not XD but aus? sure

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

i wouldn't call it hate, maybe just a couple of rude comments where people felt entitled to tell me how to write in general or how my story should progress. but nothing that i would qualify as true hate

Do you write smut?

i sure do! usually just to share between close friends. i don't want that sort of content on my main account.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge. i've had some newer authors lift some stuff almost directly to quilt into their own works but that doesnt bother me yk

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but i'm not opposed! i could in theory translate my own fics into spanish and french but it would lose a lot of nuance

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

wwx and lang zhan probably XD i love them sm

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

ooh toughie...honestly twilight prince is probably up there. its been fighting me for a while now

What are your writing strengths?

dialogue XD i write so much of it so it better be good lmao

probably also characters. more like character interactions but giving each character unique speech, mannerisms, motivations, etc

What are your writing weaknesses?

oh man prose i think. im a pretty minimalist writer when we get into describing environment and the likes. ive been working on it a lot lately so hopefully im improving

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

i support it 110% there are a lot of different ways to do it and i think all of them are valid. just depends on the work. honestly my preferred method is to just toss it in there like the rest of the dialogue without translation. if its natural to the character, it ought to be natural to the reader too yk

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

rise of the guardians i think? either that or danny phantom

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

oh man thats a hard question...i think i had the most fun writing puppysitting so we'll go with that one XD

@labyrinthdancer @wanderlustmagician @emissary-of-the-moon

no obligations

Ao3 tag game!

THANKS @ragecndybars FOR THE TAG I APPRECIATE IT

*cracks knuckles* lets do this

How many works do you have on AO3?

24 works! I would have never expected to have that many 5 years ago, hahaha

What's your total AO3 word count?

186,291! oh wow, almost 200k!! (unsurprisingly PT minato takes up over a third of that LMAO)

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

10 fandoms! I'm counting Persona 3, 4, and 5 and separate, but I'm grouping all the Zelda fandoms together since it's all Linked Universe fic.

Here's the breakdown!

The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms (6)

Persona 5 (5)

Persona 3 (5)

SPY x FAMILY (Anime) (3)

Wizard101 (Video Game) (3)

SPY x FAMILY (Manga) (3)

Runescape (Video Games) (3)

Pirate101 (Video Game) (3)

Persona 4 (2)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (2)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga (1)

Star Wars - All Media Types (1)

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors (1)

Top five fics by kudos:

The Ghost of Mementos/Stygian Ringlet (Persona3/5) - to the surprise of absolutely no one, since this is currently my longest fic. I'm very happy with Stygian Ringlet being the top because I love my boys :)

True Crime Special on the Midnight Channel (Persona 4/5) - my Ren has a TV Dungeon fic! also very proud of the dungeon concept for this one, I really need to finish the last two chapters

Dark Clouds on the Horizon (Linked Universe/TOTK) - I feel like this one got a lot of momentum partially because it was directly in the wake of TOTK's release, but I'm happy with how it turned out :)

Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven't Met (Persona 3/SPY x FAMILY) - this was a collab series with mewrose and a few others in the marigolds discord! we were throwing ideas at the wall to see what stuck and I really had a lot of fun with Shinjiro-related prompts, because I LOVE him and hitting him with the isekai baseball bat into a universe with Anya brings me great joy

Salt Tears and Raindrops (Linked Universe/TOTK) - directly related to Dark Clouds, and I'm glad people enjoyed good ol' fashioned angst >:) (I do need to post more of my wips, I do have a couple more roleswap AU wips that I want to post)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I almost always do because I really appreciate them and its my way of saying thanks for the comment! If I don't comment it's because I lost track of it or because I can't think of a response.

What's the fic with the angstiest ending you've ever written?

Probably Salt Tears and Raindrops. I was in a Mood and decided to go for the tried-and-true method of putting fictional characters I like through the emotional wringer. That's how I got the rough draft for this fic :)

Do you write crossovers?

*looks at my persona fics and recent LU fics*

...I think it's safe to say most of my fics these days fall under crossovers lmao

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

I wouldn't say I have? One or two comments that came off as rude, but no actual hate, thankfully. If I did, I forgot about it. I've been blessed by wonderfully nice readers <3

Do you write smut?

Nope. I don't read it, so I wouldn't know how to write it anyway.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of? I sure hope not.

I have seen a couple short fics slightly imitate Ghost of Mementos though, which I thought was really sweet that they liked it enough to inspire their own writing.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I'd definitely be open to it!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

RYOMINA. Hands down. I love them so much, I am so mentally unwell about these two

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

My two Runescape fics, Whispers in the Temple and Welcome to the Jungle. I absolutely loved going hogwild with rewriting old quests in Runescape, but I psyched myself out of Welcome to the Jungle because I got overly anxious about accidentally doing bad representation.

(in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been as big a deal as I thought; it's hard to make it worse considering how bad Legend's Quest was with the british-african stereotypes. that quest DID NOT age well.)

I also want to finish Snake in the Grass; that was my first attempt at a genuine mystery plot and I really liked playing with Warriors in that fic in the context of the gang trying to figure out who the heck is trying to murder him.

What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I'm pretty good at dialogue! I try to make sure it matches the character's speech patterns and personality. Really well-written dialogue can tell you who's speaking without actually telling who it is. (For example, the way I write them: Minato speaks as few words as possible and has very little filter with his observations when he does share them, and Shinjiro is pretty rough around the edges, with shortened words and the occasional swear. Warriors is good with words and wit, but he has a certain military-esque directness and doesn't dance around the topic.)

I do try hard to keep the plot clear and understandable over everything else, so probably that as well.

Also, now that I think about it, maybe fight sequences? I don't do them much, but I do enjoy the challenge of making a clear sequence of what happens in a fight and trying to make it understandable. Fight sequences are easy to skip or gloss over, but I think of them like their own miniature plot. What happens? What surprises are there? What are their movesets? How do they get the upper hand? (and of course, what looks cool as fuck)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Time management. I tend to over-proofread since I beta my own work, and often I'll go back to tweak stuff if I had additional thoughts to add to it, or extra insight. Lately, it takes longer to write chapters than I'd like.

Also, dialogue-heavy scenes often get very chaotic in my WIPs because of the way I rough out fics. I'll throw together a bunch of dialogue bits I think would be cool to include, and sometimes they'll clash or get really messy, especially if there's lots of characters (looking at the latest two chapters of Stygian Ringlet)

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I think it's cool! It adds flavor to fics. If it's more than one short phrase though, or if it's story important, then I do prefer that there is a translation in the author's notes. I haven't done any non-English dialogue in fics, save for one memorable adventure into trying to figure out how Latin grammar structure works for a character that didn't speak English.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Wizard101 and Pirate101. I was obsessed with those two for YEARS. I really, really liked pirate stories in high school, and having a cast of crewmates that accompany you throughout the game really inspired me to write my first fic featuring my OC. (I was also into One Piece at the time, but I never wrote for it.)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

Stygian Ringlet. It's really dear to my heart. I have poured so much love and effort into that fic, and the reception on it has completely blown me away.

THANKS FOR THE TAG!! Uhhhmmm for tags I'm going to go with @skyward-floored, @catreginae and @breannasfluff (but only if you want to!! no obligation of course)

and of course any other writers that want to do it as well!! go forth

[misstalwyn]

Okay Thebes, what the FUCK

cut again bc I just need to vibrate on this shit

It was so much exactly like what I thought and exactly the opposite of what I wanted

I hated being right about the goddamn tomb décor but it’s nice to see that narcissism at work ig lol

Like, damn, on one hand I wanted to see Thebes, and it looked more like the Thebes I could see in my head than I thought they’d do! (I really thought he’d just jump out of a sarcophagus tbh)

On the other hand, I had two BIG wants on two conditions

If Ted is alive, we get to fight/kill him

If he’s dead, it had to have been ironic/funny and we get to spit on his grave

So you can maybe see why I’m just ticked all the way off now 😤

DO YOU KNOW HOW NEAT IT WAS FOR A SPLIT SECOND TO THINK THAT TED WENT FULL RESIDENT EVIL AND THAT WE COULD FIGHT HIM LIKE NEMESIS??

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SICK!! WHY WOULD YOU ROB US OF THAT, GUERRILLA??

It’s a little disappointing that because of the way they went about using it, Thebes & Ted feel like a footnote in this game’s narrative? And the series as a whole? Am I alone in feeling like that??

I mean, Ted is the reason all this shit even started, he was the Big Bad and they deliberately left all these threads hanging in ZD just to wrap them up way too neatly in a plot where he’s not even the antagonist anymore?? WHY

I JUST WANTED TO KICK HIS ASS, MAN

Don’t get me wrong, I think the zeniths are interesting enough as villains, but doesn’t it feel a little odd that they were more successful just by being stupidly rich people who happened to pick the venture that worked, rather than Ted, who was smart enough to have Omega Clearance done under Elisabet’s nose, become functionally immortal, and kill the alphas?

AND THE ZENITHS EVEN GOT CAUGHT. BUT THEY STILL GOT WHAT THEY WANTED? JUST BECAUSE??

I can’t believe I’m even defending Ted at all but when you spend a whole 100+ hour game’s worth of lore building this guy up and then don’t even show his gross, resident evil mutation IN THE GAME ABOUT FIGHTING GROSS, COOL MONSTERS, I’m gonna be a little disappointed, k?

I hate to think it was because they thought Ted was too easy to hate? They really thought “let’s undercut every little thing he ever did and even when we DO deliver what you’d expect, we’re gonna kill him passively so players don’t even get the satisfaction of kicking his ass”

I expected this whole scenario at the end of a trilogy, hence why I wrote that fic as vaguely as I did—bc I really didn’t think they’d just go and do it now! I thought I had to leave space for a whole ass sequel! And they just,,, went and did it,

It feels especially cowardly now bc it’s clear in all his datapoints that he never came remotely CLOSE to realizing exactly what he did/was doing. And then they just let him die with that mindset! Half the reason I wanted to confront him (and why I’m so glad I wrote the fic when I did lol) was so he could see, if not realize, how wrong he was!

Aloy just really deserved a chance to give Ted a piece of her mind tbh, and I would have LOVED to see the look on his face when he realized who/what she was. 😤

I guess the zeniths could fill in on that narrative thread, but it’s just not gonna feel as satisfying, especially bc I still don’t know who they are!!

Tilda knew Lis? Okay, that’s a total retcon, but w/e.

Erik and Peter? Whomst?!

Verbena died instantly and then I found the datapoint from her SEVENTEENTH ENGAGEMENT? DID THEY REALLY JUST LET SOME RANDOM IT GIRL ONTO THEIR ADVANCED COLONY SHIP?? OKAY LOL

I feel a wayyyy more intriguing tie to Regalla than any of those chumps, bc I love the Tenakth so much and her shit has really divided them and brought them closer together at the same time in a long, consistent manner. It’s great! I wanna fight her more!

The zeniths? Eh, I guess I just wanna break their stuff more than them rn lol

Plus, Regalla’s motivation/conflict ties into the first game and extended lore so well! Ofc it makes sense a segment of the Tenakth wouldn’t be capable of forgiving the Carja! That shit was fucked up!! No amount of smiles and gifts from Avad could ever “fix” that! (Sorry, my sun-king 😭)

All this to say you could’ve just had this game be Aloy’s long quest to repair GAIA, feat. All these new cool tribes and people. Regalla was already your shadow carja equivalent, and just finding the subfunctions while she’s running around fucking shit up would’ve been challenge enough. Didn’t need the space people at all, tbh! But, I’m not a game writer! (Yet!!)