#idk why i've read like 20 books in between

[wr1t3w1tm3]

More unsolicited thoughts on The Outsiders a New Musical.

Tw: mention of suicide in some of the last paragraphs. If you've read the book/watched the movie, ya know.

Contains spoilers for all forms of The Outsiders (book, movie, and musical). All spoilers are below the cut.

I figured out why some of the songs in the new Outsiders musical didn't make as much sense.

They changed several plot points!!!

Most aren't egregious and I'm cool with them, but there are a couple they got me some kinda way.

(This is based if the plot synopsis on Wikipedia. It could be wrong but it's all I've got cause im a broke pleb).

In Chronological Order:

Obviously there is no Steve. Personally don't care either way. Like him and Soda's platonic relationship, particilarly what we see in the movie, but otherwise I understand why it was easier to cut his role.

Johnny only got jumped a week before the musical (but then Justice for Tulsa sounds weird because Cherry suggests Johhny killed because of how Bob treated him and she implies that he was hurt a while ago...? IDK man. Not to big a gripe but it's just weird).

Grease got a Hold is essentially a ritual initiation because Ponyboy survived getting jumped (they skip his getting saved by the gang by having Pony get knocked out) so him surviving makes him a Greaser? I don't understand and frankly I would've preferred slightly less deviation from the source material here but again, I don't mind this change, it's all down to preference.

I almost don't like how much of a main character Darry has become? Like I like him in the adaptation, but I feel like his upgrade came at the cost of the downgrade of Soda and Two-Bit. I love both those characters and from what I've read/heard they both had there roles reduced, Soda it seems almost severely. But typical middle child shit I guess. Again, he could have a lot of speaking bits because I'm going off a couple synonpses and the cast album, but man I miss him. And Two Bit. I hope that they at least had him and Pony together going to visit Johnny. That's one of my favorite parts of the book and movie.

They add a scene between Johnny and Dally where Dally sees Johnny outside his house. I'm out of order here bit it's the night before the Drive In. Johnny says he's afraid to leave because his dad could kill his mom? Interesting take on that relationship but okay. I do love this scene personally.

I don't know if we get the Two Bit and Marcia fling. It didn't get mentioned in the plot synopsis so I won't comment further.

The addition of Ponyboy going unconcscious during the first fight means I get a two nickles meme about Ponyboy blacking out during fights in this musical.

There's no Randy?!?!? @annacatbeth13 said he got cut for the Broadway run and I'm sorry. He is a hella good character and even though his movie role is reduced, he's so good. I kinda feel like the musical suffers by having only Cherry as the oposition to Soc POV when you've got minimum of Pony and Johnny verbally against the Greaser POV and Darry is very much contrary in action during the book/movie and verbally here.

B/c there's no Randy a lot of Bob and Randy scenes are just Bob and Soc scenes.

I'm sorry, the fact that the guy who plays Bob plays the cop that investigates Bob's murder is sending me. MF rolls up like "yeah, I didn't just die here. This is fine" and everyone rolls with it. It's show business, I understand, but I feel like if I saw this show in person I'd notice and I'd lose it.

Also, I'm gonna note here that Brent Comer played Paul in La Jolla and now plays Darry. Ironic. Speaking of Paul and Darry as much as I don't like them removing Randy using Paul to fill his role as Bob's friend works quiet well. However, isn't Paul 20? And wasn't Bob like 17 or 18? I have questions that I'm not sure I can answer so I'm just gonna assume they were friends in high school and Paul stayed local for college.

I also don't know if they end up going to the Dairy Queen? Like the synopsis says that Dally comes up to see them and that it's Pony's discarded cigarette that starts the fire... but then the kids show up out of nowhere so where the hell did they come from? This entire incident is assumedly spoken so all I've got's the synopsis.

I was told again by @annacatbeth13 that Randy sang Hopeless War with Cherry and Pony and dammit, they took out that entire thing and that is such a catalyst for Ponyboy seeing the world in shades of gray like Cherry mentions in Hopeless War and I'm... I'm sorry. It just feels kinda wrong. I understand why they had to cut him but dammit it doesn't mean I'm not sad.

Everything in the hospital feels rushed. It does seem like they cut the Two-Bit taking Pony to the hospital bit (which makes sense, still sort of makes me mad). It also sounds like they upped Johnny's charge to first degree murder!! Like that doesn't make sense to me. He didn't premeditate shit. I honestly don't even think you could get second degree murder to stick. They then just mention and drop the charges in like the same song? Or in pretty rapid succession because it seems like the cut the juvenile court and Darry having to be checked on by the state storylines. Again, I understand having to strip a musical down to be a bit more barebones because of time contsraints but, like, if Fiddler can have four different plot lines within the same family, you can have the main issue, the sibling fight, and the Pony/Cherry/Randy bit. It's only three plotlines. I don't know why this makes me so mad but it does and IDK why?

I love Trouble. I love Darry in that song. And Dally. But also... Pony in the book and movie has been in multiple rumbles. It is mentioned in greater detail in the book and I don't know how I feel about them making Ponyboy so innocent. Like. He was never innocent, in the book and the movie. Everyone just thought he was? Again, simplifying for time constraints but I do miss it.

I like what they did with Paul. He's always felt very flat, more of a mirror to reflect Darry against same as Steve reflected Soda and Cherry/Randy/Johnny reflected Pony. But I do like the sort of righteous indignation they gave this version of Paul. It gives him that little bit of motivation to convince me that he should be at the rumble, despite being 20. Because in the book we get told that Darry is there specifically as the leader of Pony's "gang" but we don't get told why Paul is there so it feels odd. The musical does rectify that, which I kind of like.

However, I have to say I love Dally and Johnny's relationship in this musical. Just based on what I've seen they made it the most clear and concise interpretation of all versions of this story. Both songs where Dally talks to Johnny he refers to him as little brother, which cements that relationship and helps us understand why he eventually snaps. Which I will be talking about but I cannot give enough praise for their relationship.

I also cannot give enough praise for Cherry. I don't know exactly what they did, and they really ramped up Cherry's invovlement because she had to take some of Randy's place but they did such a good job with her. I like how they put her in the middle of all the conflicts (mostly with the Justice for Tulsa number) and I think seeing how she reacts really cemented this version as my favorite. I think they manage to get across that she actually does care about Johnny and Pony as people. All the other versions she comes off as pitying them which I don't like because it feels fake. And I understand why Pony doesn't like her. I kind of like that her relationship with him extends to her giving him Johnny's clothes because she starts volunteering at the hospital. I think that also helps humanize her too.

Alright, this is the most egrious change, in my humble opinion. They change how Dally dies. I think that him commiting suicide is necessary to the story, but in the musical he JUMPS IN FRONT OF A TRAIN!! You could argue that this is because a train killed the Curtis Parents (as seen in the complete novel edition of the movie) and you could argue that it's a symbol of death or of constancy for the Curtis' as they lose people to trains (technically Pony and Johnny are taken away to Windrixville via train). However... I think it still would've made more sense to stick to Dally dying via suicide by cop. It seems like they cut the Dairy Queen scene and if they did they probably cut Dally carrying a heater, which then makes the suicide by cop not work so they have him jump in front of a train... but that still feels out of character to me. I could be wrong, but when Pony talks about how Dally would go, he says Dally would die young and violent and angry. Him jumping in front of a train doesn't tell me he was angry. It tells me he was depressed. While you still get desperation, it's sad desperation. Not the angry desperation that you get with him doing the suicide by cop.

It would not surprise me in the slightest if they choose not to use Dally's original death because of the police discourse in the media. I want to say now that I have several cops/ex-cops in my family and from what they have told me, if someone pulled a stunt like what Dally did in the movie/book, they would be forced to shoot. It becomes a kill or be killed situation because they don't know if the gun is loaded. Now, the offending officer would be tried later on for manslaughter or related crimes but probably acquitted because they couldn't have known (in the movie it's debatable because the gang yells that the gun isn't loaded, but the police still probably wouldn't have listened). I think that the writers probably wanted to avoid having that controversy drum up. I can't blame them, still pisses me off.

All that being said, I do like this adaptation. But of the three versions of this piece of media, it's my least favorite. Love all the songs, love what characters we do have, and this is by far my favorite Cherry and my favorite portrayal of Johnny and Dally's relationship, but I don't like what they did to Dally in the end. No hard feelings against anyone who likes this or the creatives behind it, but it's just not my favorite and I don't know how faithful I would consider this adaptation.

[nyx-thedragon]

Newsies Novel Notes/Thoughts

hi hello howdy-do. I have finished reading the Newsies Novel PDF that I downloaded and I am here to share my notes/thoughts that I wrote down while reading. Once again, these are in order of when I thought of them

1- so Sarah is 16 and Davey is 15 canonically in the novel

2- Jack is Irish

3- the Jacobs family is Jewish (I think - I mean, why else would Davey mention the Irish boys and Jewish boys always fighting in his neighborhood if his family wasn't Jewish), that's cool!

4- Snyder's name is Nigel?? (throwing up ngl that does not fit him)

5- love that Kloppman is like a grandfather figure to the boys it's so sweet (Kloppman deserves the 'Best Adult in the Newsies Story' Award, right next to Denton)

6- Spot is ginger (scratching my head bc I never imagined him as ginger ever)

7- Davey is said to actually fight and hold his own when the mercenaries from the World show up (I like this better than him not being shown to fight in the movie - Davey can fight if he needs to, let the boy fight!!)

8- call me a hater, but once again the romance between Jack and Sarah is unneeded and feels kinda forced. the, what, second scene we see with them she's already kissing him? idk man it just feels forced and rushed, y'know?

9- okay I've never mentioned this before, but why was Sarah at the newsies rally??

10- Davey jumping on Snyder's back to distract him from grabbing Jack oh novel Davey I love you (why did they take away most of his fighting stuff in the movie??)

11- Les kicking a cop!!

12- Denton getting clubbed to protect Kid Blink (love you Denton)

13- a bunch of police falling through the trapdoor on the stage I wish that was in the movie

14- Jack using the fire curtain to get away from the police. very smart, shoutout to Race and Boots for that

15- Davey feeling guilty for not being arrested with the other newsies but also relieved that he wasn't ooh yeah I understand

16- objecting on the ground of "Brooklyn, yer honor" Spot Conlon the newsie that you are (that line is just so funny and iconic I love it so much I love that it's in the book and the movie)

17- the other newsies hearing Snyder's whole speech about Jack and his life instead of just Davey oooh why wasn't that in the movie what that would've been so interesting to see

18- "It's not fair" I love how Davey is vocal about his opinion instead of just looking at Jack with disappointment like in the movie

19- Les is not taken with to the Refuge to try to break Jack out. very smart, makes sense. so why was he taken with in the movie??

20- Davey watching the conversation between Jack and Pulitzer through the window

21- hate hate hate how Davey is spelled "Davy" in the book. it looks ugly without the "e"

22- "[Davey] felt as though someone he loved had died" in response to finding out Jack sold out to Pulitzer HELLO??? (my homo-alarm is going CRAZY)

23- WHO THE FUCK TORE UP JACK'S PICTURE OF HIS PARENTS!? I KNOW YOU'RE MAD BUT THAT'S TOO FAR, GUYS!! (also I forgot to note this down but I love that Jack has a picture of/with his parents it's so fucking cute. wanna explode whoever it is that tore it up though cuz what the fuck)

24- "You touch Davy and I'll..." oh? getting protective I see... (homo alert! homo alert!)

25- okay so Davey doesn't get beaten up by the Delanceys and instead Jack and the Jacobs siblings beat the two of them up with no issue. hmmm (why wasn't that in the movie? why did they have Sarah be a helpless girl who punched Oscar(?) once and then laid on the ground yelling? why was Davey not shown to fight well enough to not get beaten up by the Delanceys in the movie?? novel Davey and your fighting ability, I will avenge you)

26- Mayer giving Jack some of his old clothes and some food and telling him he'll always have a home with them oh don't make me cry that is so sweet

27- we lost that sweet scene with Mayer and Jack in the movie I can't believe this that would've been such a good scene! could've gotten rid of the rooftop scene with Sarah if there was worry about the runtime being too long, it would've been a much better scene imo (grgrgrggrrgr Mayer Jacobs and Jack Kelly father-son relationship I will avenge you!!) (this is also partially because I am still a hater of the Sarah/Jack relationship/romance because it was so not needed imo)

28- "I wanted to go to Santa Fe, but my real family was right here all along" (YES! GREAT WAY TO END THE STORY! oh my goodness the movie added the Sarah/Jack kiss instead of having this line??? bro I need to have a conversation with the scriptwriters or whoever it was that approved these changes oh my GOD) (i'm assuming the novel came before the movie when I say this)

There was at least one other thing that I didn't end up actually writing down but mentioned when I was annotating the PDF last night but then the annotations disappeared?? for some reason?? when I went to finish reading this morning so I don't know what it was. maybe I'll remember it later? probably not tbh :(

and something that I typed up while watching the movie last night before starting to read the PDF (it is, once again, about the romance subplot. please forgive me for being such a huge and vocal hater about it, it just pisses me off soooo much for some reason):

"dude genuinely the romance subplot was not needed. and the scene with Jack and Sarah on the roof could've been replaced with a scene of like, the newsies talking about the strike and maybe some of them bringing up concerns or something. or even Davey interacting with the newsies and getting to know them. or show how he's dealing with being the co-leader of a whole strike at fifteen years old. something like that.

sorry not sorry but I am very very adamant that not every fucking story needs a romance subplot. especially not this one. I would say if they absolutely had to have a romance subplot, have it be between Jack and Davey, but this movie was made in 1992 and that probably wouldn't have gone over super well, let's be honest."

okay, that's all for now. I might try writing a little newsies fic / one-shot at some point soon-ish? maybe. it will probably be Javey with a bit of background Sprace and Jack / Spot friendship if I ever do get around to it.

uhh have a good day everyone! stay cool :3

[drowning-moonlight]

Ever since I read the Marineford arc in the manga, I've been intrigued by that part of Sengoku's speech in chapter 551 where he says that Ace took on the name Portgas D "two years ago" and I have not seen anyone talk about it.

I have always found the fact that he had only been going by Portgas D for two years to be interesting. Before reading this, I thought Ace had always used his mother's surname. In the same chapter, we learn that Rouge gave him the name Gol D Ace, which was chosen by Roger:

Ace never goes by 'Gol D' as far as I can remember and that's due to the fact that Ace hated his father and didn't want to be associated with him due to the danger being Roger's son put him in. Garp also probably didn't want to go around calling him 'Gol D Ace' in order to protect his identity.

Though Ace hated his father, he did love his mother, as she died protecting him. Thus, he chose to go by her name:

My question is, why did Ace only start going by Rouge's surname two years prior to the main story? When and from who did he learn about the name Portgas D? In the flashbacks of Ace's childhood with Sabo and Luffy, he doesn't go by Portgas D. Why not? I think it's safe to assume that Ace would have gone by his mother's name as soon as he learned about her. However, we don't know when Ace learned about Rouge. Ace does know about Roger though, as some of his earliest childhood flashbacks show him beating up people who say that Roger's child should be killed. So Ace knew in childhood who his father was but doesn't seem to know who his mother was, or at least didn't know her family name.

I think we as a fandom just assume that Garp told Ace about Rouge early on, and maybe he did tell Ace some things, but there's actually no indication that Garp told him about the name Portgas D. So if not from Garp, then who could Ace have feasibly learned that from?

(Now there does seem to be a little inconsistency with the timeline here. Sengoku also implies that Ace formed the Spade Pirates two years prior to the main story but that can't be true because when we first meet Ace in Alabasta, Luffy says that Ace set sail three years prior, when Ace was 17. The brothers made a pact to leave Dawn Island at 17 in honor of Sabo. Ace is 20 in Marineford so he had to have formed the Spades three years before that.

The first Ace Novel seems to take place very soon after Ace sets sail, meaning he's still 17 then. If he left on his birthday, January 1, then he's probably no more than a few days/weeks into being 17. He forms the Spades with Masked Deuce very early on in his time as a pirate, likely still 17. This is probably just a little continuity error. Or I'm looking too deep into something that's not really important lol.)

(And speaking of the first Ace Novel, Ace doesn't ever call himself Portgaz D in that book. I read it a few months ago and skimmed it just now and he only introduces himself to Deuce as simply "Ace" in chapter one. The book is written from Deuce's POV and reads a bit like a memoir, like it was written after the events took place. The only time I remember even seeing the name Portgaz D was in the prose right after they met on Sixis. No one ever refers to him with his surname though, it's always just "Ace" or "Fire Fist" or "Captain/Boss." This leads me to believe he wasn't going by Portgaz D at that point early in his pirate career.

However, in the second Ace Novel, he is referred to as "Portgaz D Ace" right from the prologue, which follows Whitebeard before he even meets Ace. So idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Anyway, "two years" prior to the main story had to have been when Ace was already part of the Whitebeard pirates. It's not clear from the manga or Ace Novels exactly how much time passes between Ace forming the Spade pirates and joining Whitebeard. At least a few months but probably not a whole year. I think a little less than a year could be likely. He spent a few months taking the Spades through Paradise, then a little ways through the New World. Then they get captured by Whitebeard and spent another couple of months on board where Ace tried to kill Whitebeard before deciding to join him.

We know it was after Ace joined that he told Whitebeard about Roger being his father. It's not really shown but I think it could be very likely that Ace asked about Roger. I don't know how that conversation could have went because Ace very much still hates Roger after he joined the Whitebeards. If Newgate had told Ace about his friendly rivalry with Roger, it didn't seem to change how Ace felt about Roger.

Maybe this is a reach but I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibility that Ace asked Whitebeard about Rouge as well. A "You knew my father, did you know my mother too?" kind of thing. There's no indication that Whitebeard could have known Rouge or anything about her but I think it could be a possibility. Maybe that's how he learned the name Portgas D and decided to start using it, two years prior to the main story?

Anyone have thoughts on this?

[azsazz]

SJM Ask Game

Thank you for the tag @daydreaming-nerd !! 💙💙 (I do want to hear those redacted answers for where you put tharion lol) I feel like it's been so long since I've been on tumblr or even done one of these but I'm excited💙

1) What’s your favourite SJM book?

Hmmmm I'm gonna say ACOMAF because that's when I was first introduced to Azzy and the obsession began 💙😈

2) Which is your favourite series (tog, acotar or cc)

If you don't know me, CC is one of the worst books I've ever read. It's hard to choose between ACOTAR and TOG tho because they were both really good....

3) Who is your favourite character? (And why?)

Hehehehehehehehe. Az obviously 🥰

4) Do you have a favourite quote from one of the books?

Hmmmm...tbh not really...the ones that stay stuck in my head are the cringey ones...BUT, let's go with "Cassian shot him a glare. 'I don't see you spouting poetry, brother.' Azriel crossed his arms, still smiling faintly, 'I don't need to resort to it.'" THAT'S GODDAMN RIGHT BBY YOU DONT 💙💙 legs spread for mah boi

5) Favourite ship?

Azris frfr

6) Elriel or Gwynriel? Or neither?

Azris frfr

7) Who’s the most underrated SJM character?

Oooof there's so many. Fenrys. I've never gotten enough of him.

8) Which character do you wish to learn more about?

Azris frfr. I want both of their backstories rn

9) Are there any characters you don’t like?

Bryce Quinlan and Danika Fendyr

10) Favourite bat boy?

My king azriel 💙💙

11) Favourite court?/ Which one would you most like to live in?

Honestly I'd probably either live in Autumn or Night tbh.

12) Favourite SJM villain?

Does Tamlin count? lol.

13) If you could change one thing in any of the books what would it be?

That CC never happened

14) Favourite SJM theory?

Azris frfr

15) Favourite Archeron sister?

Prob Ness

16) A character you feel is over-hated/ underrated:

over-rated: bryce quinlan

under-rated: chaol 💙

17) Aelin, Bryce, or Feyre?

Aelin!!

18) What’s your favourite character from each series?

Fenrys, Azriel, Ruhn

19) If you wrote an acotar book what would you call it?

A Court of Smoke and Cinders? (azris frfr)

20) Who is your favourite acotar blogger?

nah there's literally too many to choose from

21)What fics would you recommend to people who love the series?

The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Questions for writers

22) Easiest character to write for?

Azzy because i built him brick by brick

23) Hardest character to write for?

LUCIEN. IDK WHY

24) What’s a character you’d like to write for but haven’t yet?

lol who haven't i written for? hmmmm...maybe fenrys, aedion, or hunt?

25) What’s a court you’d like to write about more?

Dawn!

26) What’s a character you won’t write for and why?

hmmm...idk I'd like to say that I'd try anything once...

27) If you could only write for one character ever again, who would you pick?

azzy. nobody compares to him

28) Whats your favourite trope to write about when it comes to Azriel?

right now i think modern aus...in any sort. or anything that involves angst i love putting everyone thru some shit

29) What do you think is the best/favourite acotar fic you’ve written?

hmmmm...i feel like this is impossible to choose

30) Who are your favourite friendships to write about?

eris x anyone because this man needs a friend

31) For first time readers to your blog, which three fics would you recommend they read?

LMAO ummm...I'll list at least one for. every character

Az: Cupid's Chokehold or Midnight Muse

Cass: In Storm or Dial Drunk or Better Men Have Hit Their Knees and Bigger Men Have Died

Eris: You Know I Always Liked Playing with Fire or Hide

Rhys: Clandestine Love or Dioxazine

Lucien: The Other Woman or My Happy Ending

or literally any poly can't go wrong with those tbh

No pressure tags: @writingsbychlo @acourtofwhatthefuck @i-am-a-lost-girl16 @azrielhours @a-frog-with-a-laptop or anyone else who wants to participate!

[miaikon]

From learning a Sci-Fi script to picking up a Con-Lang (or, a very long very nerdy Star Wars rant)

I need to rant at this to the void, and this blog is my go-to for these things. I feel free to do so since no-one comes here anyways.

A bit of background

(or, the part you can skip if you want to get to the nerdy rant now): I've been into Star Wars on and off since my teens. I'm nearly 40, so that's a few decades. I do watch the new series, and became very fond of "The Mandalorian" really fast. In-between seasons, my spouse and I also re-watched most of Clone Wars. In early 2024, we started a Star Wars 5E TTRPG campaign with a friend, where my spouse DM's, Friend plays a Jedi, and I play a Mandalorian (and she's just so much FUN to play). My character is one I came up with around... 2017? Maybe? IDK if you can find her if you scroll down far enough. Currently re-designing her, though. I originally came up with her after working my way through the Travis books and becoming fascinated with Mandalorians for some reason.

Accidential Language Acquisition

My latest obsession (and distracion from the summer heat) started with me looking up some Mandalorian phrases and curses for RPG purposes. Yes, I know, none of this is canon any more. None of us cares. We kind of make our own canon. Then I found out there's a script - and I was lost. I loved codes and obscure scripts as a child, and I did learn to read Hiragana in my 20s, so how hard could this be? I looked for a chart and found this site, which offers practice reading (and a dictionary, amongst other stuff). So, I started learning the characters in, I think, late July. I read quite well by now, my writing does lag behind. Juuust... the practice phrases are written in the Mandalorian language.

I didn't set out to learn a constructed language. I really did not. I just wanted to know WHAT I was typing. So I looked up the sentences on the cheat-sheet after I got them right. And some words started repeating, and I picked them up. Kinda automatically. I swear, I only practice reading/ writing this for like 15 to 30 minutes a day. After a while, I half-understood what some sentences said. Reading Star Wars fanfiction did not help (or help a lot, depending on your POV) there. I looked up missing words, building a bit of a vocabulary. It's erratic still, but I noticed something. In conversations, my brain sometimes supplies the Mandalorian words I know now. (I usually do catch myself, although stuff tends to slip in when I'm alone with my spouse, to his amusement.) My language center does not know this is a con-lang, after all. I also tried to write a ransom note in Mandalorian, which was a fun experience (for a private project). Through fan fiction and looking up stuff, I also learned about the Legends version of Mandalorian culture. That stuff is fascinating, although I feel like a visitor to an abandoned city. Everyone's gone (since Legends is out of print and stuff is falling into obscurity), but it's still cool to look around. It gives me a kind of bittersweet, nostalgic feeling, too. So many passionate minds, and things I'm so happy to experience, but wished I knew about sooner. Aay'han, if you will, only it's memories I never made. Nostalgia for what could have been. Not gonna lie, I'm obsessed. It's a feeling I seldom get now, although it was quite frequent when I was a teen. It feels great and enjoyable and unhealthy and I think I need to stop. I'm an adult, and I'm too old to fangirl. Or, at least, I keep telling myself this.

Analyzing a Con-Lang because my nerd brain can't stop looking for patterns

Mandalorian actually HAS different words for the people, the planet, the ruler, and the language. Let me start with Manda, which is the collective soul (or the concept of) of the Mandalorian people. The people themselves are Mando'ade (Children of the Manda/ of Mandalore. Singular Mando'ad). The language is Mando'a (no clue why, language would be joha. Maybe Mando'joha was too long and it got shortened). The planet is Manda'yaim (yaim meaning home. Simple enough). The ruler is the Mand'alor (alor meaning, well, leader. Also simple).

Before long, my brain started making connections between some things. Simple things first - "Ke" or "K' " at the start of a sentence is always the imperative form of something ("Command form"). The words for "you", "I", and the third person pronoun. Then, between words, trying to fit new words with what I already know. Like [something] ad was most likely about people. I built myself bridges that are just theories - I am not a linguist in any fashion, and I'm just trying to make sense of what's there. Like mirsh meaning brain(cell), kot meaning strenght, and mirshko is courage - so, "brain-strength"?

And no, for all of you out there that are as nerdy as me, this is not a full language. There isn't a word for "call" or "get in contact with" I could find, for example. Some authors just wanted to add flair to their writing, so an incomplete thing is what we have. Even so, I am kind of hooked in the weirdest way. I play around, trying to make my own sentences and combined words. It's fun, and private, and nobody needs to know. Except for the two people I TTRPG with.

IDK any more where I wanted to go with this. There might be a part 2, someday. If anyone read this, I appreciate you. If anyone read this and had this weird kind of obsession happen to them as well, let's talk. It might just be the universe's weirdest midlife crisis.

[thezanyarthropleura]

rewatching the Dinotopia 13-episode miniseries and just wanted to say I concur with a lot of your takes. Hopefully it's ok to infodump about it in your askbox?

26 is adorable and heart-stealing (as is Karl's love for her) and she still looks so lifelike even after 20 years since the show's airing--the combination of lower-tech puppetry and higher-tech animatronics just hits perfectly. I just want to hold her and carry her around and tickle her little head. I feel weird calling her 'lifelike' considering none of us have seen Chasmosaurs(sp?) in the flesh, but the way she blinks and shakes her head and squeals just feels authentic somehow?

'Contact' is one of my favourite episodes as well, as it legitimises this version of Karl who in earlier episodes risked coming across as trivial/annoying/shallow (I love this Karl fwiw, more than the previous 'better' series' take). The connection between Karl & Gracie is so touching and raw, and it seems like the most important thing that happened to Karl at that stage in his life, as well as a turning point in the way he relates to female peers. While I am a fan of Karl's himbo side, I appreciated seeing him finally show expertise and determination in something other than mixing drinks and flirting and wheeler-dealing, as well--after all, he's Frank's favourite son and an adventurer in his own right, why shouldn't he be capable? (we also saw his resourcefulness in 'Lose & Found').

As for Lesage, your thoughts about her past relationship with Rosemary really have me thinking as well. The reference to their fling was so fleeting that I missed it first time around, but it's definitely critical to understanding both their characters imo. Lesage definitely seems the free-spirited fiery rebellious type to run off with a woman to have sapphic adventures in the wild, even if it took said sapphic partner to bring that out of her (and it's SO interesting that Rosemary was *Lesage's* closet key). What would Dinotopia make of lesbians disrupting their natural order and their status quo? (upon which they rely for their coveted peace...) The mind reels. And I agree about the relief and pleasant surprise that this mature dark woman wasn't 'tamed' or domesticated in the storyline's conclusion, it would have been so banal if the series went that route. She clearly isn't the type who wants a traditional family, a secure home or a regular Joe older man with kids.

That said, I must confess to wanting Lesage coupled with David, as I've noticed that from their very first meeting there is deliberate tension and foreshadowing included to put them in a shippy light, and their personalities/chemistry really spark and pop off the screen more than any other pairing (probably why the actors/character got a 2-hander episode to themselves?). Also, in-keeping with 'Lesage does what she wants and breaks the mold', I think Lesage would LIVE for scandalising Dinotopia by taking their Skybax Squadron Commander/favourite Offworlder and seducing him. David for his part would go willingly I think, as he seems captivated and chagrined by Lesage, more than he is by Marion (who imo he *wants* to want and thinks he should want romantically/sexually, but deep down doesn't). David for his part clearly needs a challenge and a foil to get the most out of his life, and Lesage offers that in spades. Where are the fics is what I wanna know

Am still combing over a few of the episodes in more detail, but overall I enjoy it so much despite all the inaccuracies and how off-model and off-book it is, and for the time you can see how it broke some new ground. It's pacey, it's a good time, it's got a little bit of everything from drama to adventure to fantasy to anarchohistory/steampunk. The story and characters remind me of Xena in the way you can read them in a campy/fun way or a serious way, and it works either way. Idk why it isn't on streaming and remastered, though the selfish gatekeeping part of me is kind of glad it's not exposed like that..

Always ok!

I do wish we got more of 26 in The Cure Part 2 that wasn't plot-mandated immobility, because that small bit at the end of Part 1 where she's doing her little scamper around on modern sidewalks is such a cute and defining moment for the series and I would've loved to see her run around through crowds or make an escape through the museum. I'd say even her CGI is some of the best-looking now, probably because of working with an easier scale (although I feel like dated CGI is always going to look like dated CGI, and so try to judge it more on whether or not it emotionally connects, and 26 definitely does).

They say it like "Chasmiosaur" in the show but the dinosaur is spelled Chasmosaur/Chasmosaurus. It's real interesting that both the live-action and book versions of Dinotopia used lesser-known ceratopsians instead of the obvious triceratops.

Agreed on Karl, sketchy/sleazy relationship drama is SO not my thing and I'd say I was only tolerating it for the dinosaurs, but the way this show does it is just so over-the-top that I can't help but be at least a little entertained. Night of the Wartosa is fun to watch in an uncomfortable train wreck sense, because we see Karl at his worst and it's so agonizing, but at the end of the day it's self-aware, it's intended as a wake-up call, and we're meant to be rooting for him to become a better person and laughing at him along the way. And by Contact, we're shown he can be serious when it counts, and his story takes a deeper turn into the heartfelt that solidifies his arc.

Since it's Hallmark, I'm sure they'd find a way to make even the dinosaurs scandalized by anything non-straight. "Why yes, our ancient society founded primarily by non-humans, with its own code of conduct distinct from other world philosophies, has the same puritan sensibilities as early 2000s daytime television." I guess there's a small chance the show actually did mean they only considered themselves sisters, and that very obvious pause didn't mean anything at all, I guess we'll never know *shrug* (but since it was a show cancelled after one season, I'm gonna say that from the 2020s we can go ahead and retroactively assume it must've had lesbians).

Freely admit that if I didn't pick up on anything hinting LeSage/David, it's probably because I only really have shipping goggles for f/f relationships, and also carry around the associated 'just friends' goggles for what are often clearly intended het pairings. To each their own, I suppose, and to both of us, the tragedy of liking a piece of media that very few people have ever seen, and even fewer have seen in any way that made them think of it positively. Highly doubt the internet 20 years after the fact would have much appreciation for my 'LeSage x pachycephalosaurus chariot driver OC' daydream musings but you can bet that's probably what I'm thinking about every time I hear "Fast Car."

Oh, if this show was on streaming, people would expect WAY too much from it. It's in the backwoods of Youtube and on cheap DVDs, and I feel like that's it's natural habitat. I can only really imagine people truly liking this if it's a formative memory, they found it in some obscure corner on a rainy day and gave it a chance only half-seriously, or the rare case where they wanted to watch a dinosaur show enough to turn it on but were secretly looking for... this. It's such a fun time, but I feel like for most, you'd need to know what you're in for or it just won't click.

[felixravinstills]

Send Me a Character & I'll Tell You✨️ - Festus

Ask Game

Thanks, anon! I feel like I haven't talked about Festus in a bit...

My first impression

(Somehow, I had heard about him before I read the book.) Snow has a friend who's like a golden retriever? huh. interesting.

My impression now

Wow, whoever I talked to pre-reading the book really misled me into thinking he was a one-note golden retriever type. He's like so empathetic and sweet to people he's close to, but he can be so callous at times. I love it!

I am also less vocal about it than with Felix, but I also have visions of dissecting Festus. Pulling back the layers, but like imagined visually.

Favorite thing about that character

The dogfights. I'm not joking. The moment he mentioned them in the book, I was all in. I was invested.

Least favorite thing

Needed more of him (me with every mentor). Wish we could have seen more of him. I would have loved to hear more about him and Lysistrata in the Epilogue especially.

Favorite line/scene

“I couldn’t save her,” he said. “I couldn’t stop the blood.” “I don’t think anyone could have. At least you tried. That’s what matters,” Festus consoled him. [...] “Come to my place,” Festus said, but when they reached his apartment, he suddenly broke into tears. They saw him onto the elevator and said good night. (Ch. 7)

I just know he's a good friend, okay? He might make you super uncomfortable (Coriolanus and the Train Station Alleyway Bet <- and i personally have always read this as very uncomfortable), but he's like trying? Which counts for something in my book. In the Capitol.

Favorite interaction that character has with another

This was going to go in the above section originally, but then I decided it fit better here:

Heavensbee Hall erupted around Coriolanus, and Festus organized a few classmates to lift his chair and parade him around the dais. (Ch. 20)

A character that I wish that character would interact with more

What I would give for Festus and Sejanus interactions in the book. I want to see what type of behavior led to his invite to the post-mortem birthday party memorial.

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

Berga Gandor from B!, and yes, I know that no one know who that is. Alternatively, there is another character, but I think I'd get beat to death in an alley if I made that comparison, so I won't. I just think people would misinterpret what parts of each character, I'm trying to compare.

A headcanon about that character

I think he has like normal Capitolite parents. They are just the average sort you'll find. I named them Daphne and Meleager because Greek Mythology tree related names (I also named them in like February, so idk, maybe I could come up with better names now, but I've gotten used to them).

Anyway, the Creed parents are you know in a marriage of convenience. Meleager's not particularly present but not really absent. Daphne's just kind of sitting pretty and a little bit of an alcoholic but from the sounds of it most of the adults in the Capitol are having problems with alcohol. Festus can't really connect with them very well, but their dysfunction isn't as bad as... some other families both in canon or otherwise (my Ravinstills)...

A song that reminds of that character

Need More Bandages by the Mountain Goats. idk, I just do. Y'all, I am music illiterate.

An unpopular opinion about that character

I've said it a couple times, but I can imagine movie! Festus being him at his most callous. Like I'm still bummed out that he doesn't have any of his nicer scenes in the movie, but I can still imagine book! Festus acting like that in the right circumstances. I still understand why people make the distinctions between the two though. The movie's framing is def wanting us to read him as a more antagonistic character.

Favorite picture

Picture of Festus I've had saved for a while, because I liked it, but there wasn't enough movement to make a gif.

[an-aura-about-you]

are we ready for another chapter of Handbook for Mortals?

no but we're gonna do it anyway.

getting to Chapter 17:

when we last left our hero, Scheherazade was at death's door and laid out on her childhood bed, but nobody seems overly fussed about that because instead of actually trying to help her we're all gonna listen to Dela tell the story of how she and Charles honked at each other from across the circus and agreed to make an insufferable clown baby.

Chapter 17: The Lovers

-Zade tells us in the narration that her mother's storytelling is worthy of Spielberg. can we get any more blatant about who she'd want directing the movie?

-the year we get for when Zade's parents properly meet is 1977, FINALLY giving us something that resembles a timeline. idk if we're actually gonna find out when they bone, but if they do indeed do the horizontal mambo at some point before 1977 ends, then the latest possible time that Scheherazade could reasonably be born would be the autumn of 1978.

if Zade is 25ish, given the weeks upon weeks she's spent in Vegas going by with no mention of a birthday, the most reasonable year for this book to be set is 2004 with the assumption that Zade's birthday is coming up soon at this point.

I'm not even sure what to make of that.

-another tally point for casual use of the g-slur.

-Dela is described as a "gorgeous young girl" in the story she's telling us. like ok, glad to know where Zade gets the bragging.

-also Dela is just 18, so we're invoking Barely Legal here.

-the narration refers to Charles as a boy, but they just said he's 20. that's a full grown man. a young one, but still.

-ok so this is weird. one paragraph already referred to him as Charles, but the paragraph after it has a bit that says, "while the boy who was known as Charles." why is that here? why aren't we just calling him Charles at this point?

-Dela is thinking about how she doesn't like Charles and Charles is trying to figure out how to charm her since all the girls normally fawn over him. so far, their relationship appears to be framed as some kind of conquest.

-I'm frustrated that Sarem used the same metaphor I've used in one of my fics, though she doesn't go the same way with it as I did. Dela describes her ability to see the future like being in a house and looking through a window and how she would go insane if she tried to see everything. I'm actually not sure what she's getting at with the window. does she mean that it's a narrow scope? because it's also possible to see what's going on by going outside. the whole reason this came up is because Charles teased that she should know why he's come to see her since she can tell the future, but she's trying to explain to him that she's not looking at every single bit of the future.

-Charles thinks Dela's a con-artist and is not impressed with her cold reading skills so far.

-until she manages to tell him what he's been having nightmares about, something he hasn't told anyone about, so he's now on board believing she might be the real deal.

-Dela about her tarot cards: "They don't bite, I promise. I may, but they don't."

suddenly I'm glad Sarem skipped over all the flirting between Zade and the boys.

-wait now Charles is 21? there hasn't been a time jump, we're still in the same scene we've been in!

-they are also dragging this joke out as if it's peak flirting. maybe a year HAS passed. reading that paragraph has certainly aged me.

-why is Zade thinking about her mother having a sultry voice?

oh yeah, I didn't mention this before, but back in the big magic illusion, Zade takes the time to mention in the narration that the young man in the trick looked the way Charles did as a teenager. and if you remember, the young man kissed her at one point.

Zade has weird incestuous feelings about her parents confirmed.

-apparently all Charles needs to do to impress Dela is show off his Sick Shuffling Skillz.

-Zade. why did we need to read about your dad looking down your mom's shirt?

why did you WANT to look over that memory in enough detail to include it?

all I can think of is the memory reel in Sasha's mind in Psychonauts when we see him using his psychic powers to see his father's memories of his mother, who died in his infancy. he accidentally stumbles upon a moment like this and obviously recoils upon seeing it.

-Dela, like Zade, wears clothes that hug her "in all the right places."

-for some reason, Dela is flattered that Charles was staring at her boobs. I guess we know what Sarem's formula for Twoo Luv is and that's being desired.

-ok so here's the dealio: Charles has been having nightmares about getting shot, and the reason why is he fucked his assistant Betty and didn't think anything about it but she thought they were gonna be together- HEY WAIT! THIS IS JUST WHAT CLARA DID TO MAC! only this time we're supposed to sympathize with Charles instead of Betty even though she's in the role Mac was in because obviously Betty is crazy and she's gonna try to shoot Charles.

-ok, Sarem actually gets points for Charles having this incredibly relatable reaction to finding out Betty's been watching him sleep: a good sarcastic, "That's not creepy at all."

-oh and the thing that's tipped Betty over the edge/the reason why she's gonna shoot him soon is Charles slept with another girl recently and she's jealous af. Charles doesn't even remember who else he slept with at first.

-why is Charles rating his sexual partners in front of Dela?

-Dela says Betty's gonna switch out the shells in the gun for a trick Charles does, but that's not how prop guns work. they are not built for real bullets. Betty would have to swap out the gun itself for this to work.

-Dela apparently sees something when she and Charles hold hands at the end of her little plan for how he'll survive getting shot, but she won't tell him what. I think it's her knowing they're gonna bang and have Zade.

and the chapter ends with Charles kissing Dela's hand on his way out, which made her shiver like a bunch. yeah, she knows they're gonna bang, calling it here.

this bit of the story isn't done, by the way. the flashback is, but Dela and Charles are gonna tell us how things worked out. man, I wonder if Charles is gonna die.

for that matter, I wonder if Zade, who has still been narrating these chapters, is gonna die.

[walkinginland]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

very kindly tagged by @freneticfloetry and @three-drink-amy. thanks, friends!!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20! Three of those are drabble compilations, how I keep my 100-word drabbles organized for different fandoms, but I'm counting them 😂

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

35,104. I don't know how to write long lmao.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Most of my fics (15 of them to be exact, as well as the main longer fic I'm writing atm) are for Outlander, but I've written for a total of 5 fandoms, and hop between them at different times. In addition to Outlander, I have fics/drabbles for The Song of Achilles, The Last Binding Trilogy, 911, and 911: Lone Star.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

To Heart and Home (Outlander, multichap, canon divergent) - by farrrrr, which makes sense, as it's my only multichap

Foundations (Outlander, one shot, canon compliant)

return my fists to fingers (The Last Binding, one shot, canon compliant)(i need more of yall to read these books and write fic for them. i need it)

Sunlight (The Song of Achilles, one shot, canon compliant)

Grievances Raised (Outlander, one shot, modern au)

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

I do! I don't post often enough that I get an overwhelming amount of comments or anything, so it's not a huge burden to reply to them all. I just am continually baffled by people reading what I write, it genuinely blows my mind.

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

hmmmmmm. a lot of what I write is pretty angsty, but I love finding and weaving out the thread of hope that lives in those broken places. That said, does heaven have enough angels yet is pretty rough. It's a canon compliant little snippet from the pov of a stillborn infant so like...... she's sad. there's still hope tho! always still hope.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

ooo probably the fluffiest happy fic I have is All the Colors in the Rainbow! It ends with all the Frasers going off to Pride, and it makes me hella happy.

The happiest fic story-wise is probably To Heart and Home, just because it fixes The Main Fuckening that happens in Outlander and brings that family back together earlier.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

*knocks on wood* i haven't yet!

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

I don't, I'm not brave enough. The closest I came to it was with Grievances Raised, wherein Claire pegs the brains out of her husband, but I only wrote the aftermath.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't done one yet!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of 🤞🏻

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so? I feel like I remember someone asking me to translate To Heart and Home a few years ago, but I don't know if anything ever came of it.

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

I haven't! I feel like I would be the worst co-writer lol, I am farrrr too slow.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

to write? idk, probably Jamie and Claire? I just feel like I know them, inside and out. I don't have to look for their voices, they're right there.

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

oh god, so many outlander ones lmao.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I am really good at matching the tone of the source material! Once I get the voice of the characters/narration/general story style, I feel like I can reproduce the general vibes of canon. I think that's why I sometimes have an easier time with writing fic from stories in the form of books - there's a written tone I can internalize. And consequently, why I've had a harder time with nailing a voice for 911 or Lone Star, even though I do want to eventually write fic for those shows.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue and plot! I write Vibes™, but I don't know how to write actual Stories. I would love to be that writer who could crank out a whole story with a plot and shit, because I love that type of fic with my whole self, but my brain just functions in vibes.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I am a Coward about it. I've written a fair amount of Gàidhlig into my Outlander fics, especially in To Heart and Home, and honestly I think I've done a pretty good job with it. I spent a lot of time researching the language, up to and including researching grammar structures and taking duolingo lessons at the beginning of the pandemic for a few months. I've forgotten most of it now though, despite duolingo being extremely persistent with its reminders lmao.

However.

If I were to write for 911 and Lone Star like I would like to, I would like to include some Spanish into those stories (especially with Lone Star), and I just don't think I would do it justice. I failed Spanish miserably in high school, and haven't taken a stab at it since. If I include it I want to do it well and respectfully, ya know? I'm bilingual (just not with Spanish lol) and an interpreter, and I think that has brought with it a better understanding of just how complicated language is, and how easy it is to fuck it up when you don't know what you're doing. And as a very white person, I also don't want to act like I know fuck-all about a non-white language and culture when I don't.

Sooooo, I'm a coward about it atm. Hoping to get better eventually though!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Outlander! Never ever thought I would write fic, didn't think I was "allowed." Hadn't ever written anything creatively before (in english at least), so it was a big jump for me. this makes it sound like english is my second language, when really it's just that the first time that anyone made me write creatively was in my deaf lit class

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh god this changes all the time. At the moment I've feeling very tender towards into the empty parts of me. It's a really tragic part of canon, but just gorgeous character potential. I loved how gentle this turned out, how John and Claire had a moment of healing in the middle of their tragedy.

But also I think that the fic I'm writing right now is gonna turn out to be my favorite ❤ once I get the writing juices flowing again for one last section 🤞🏻

I'm not sure who all has done this already, but no pressure tagging @liminalmemories21, @flyinghome-againstthewind, @theawkwardterrier, @homerforsure, @paperstorm

[valkeakuulas]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @cacodaemonia ! :D

How many works do you have on ao3? 48! :D Here's to hoping will reach 50 before the year ends. Got two months for that.

What’s your total ao3 word count? 332,404

What fandoms do you write for? Currently I write for TCW only. I tend to latch into one fandom and then just write for it.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? The Most Unexpected Courting (TF, dragonformers AU) 30 Days of Jazz and Prowl (What is says in the tin) War Stories (TCW) 31 Days of Clone Wars Fictober (TCW, various ships) Cake Galore (I kinda consider this my magnum opus)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes, of course! I had a phase when didn't (it was when was floating between fandoms) and I feel rather now embarrassed about it. If a person took their time to write me a comment, I want them to know I saw it and it made me happy

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending Um... I don't know...? I don't think none of fics have an angsty ending? I'm a softie who pretty much only reads angst if there's a happy ending, so that gets mirrored in my fic as well.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? ... All of them? Okay okay, if had to pick, I would say light at the end of the world and The Most Unexpected Courting show the type of happy endings that I use most often. One ends softly, one has some smut going on before the end.

Do you get hate on fics? *squints* I very vaguely think I've gotten maybe one slightly annoyed comment? In one of my TF fics? But I'm not 100% certain, so the answer is no.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I honestly fear that pretty much the only things I write are smut, smut and more smut. But only type of smut I think I've not written about is very heavy kink (hardcore BDSM, for example).

Do you write crossovers? I've wanted to but never really have. The only thing that is a bit crossover-ish is a fic where a very transformer-like character has some good times with Cody.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? ... tbf I don't think anyone would really want to steal anything from me, so, no? I think?

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yeah, I have!

What’s your all-time favorite ship? Now this is an extremely unfair question. I don't have a favorite ship, I've got a whole goddamn armada.

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? ... There are a few TF mini-fic series I've never finished even though planned to? I guess those count

What are your writing strengths? idk, someone recently said that I've got the habit of starting a fic (usually a short one) in a serious way that can twist into pure crack with the drop of a hat and still make it work. Or something like that.

What are your writing weaknesses? Ha! That's easy. Prepositions and comma placements. They follow rules that are pretty much completely opposite to the ones I was taught. I feel so sorry for my beta reader because I keep making same mistakes all the time.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? You mean in my own mother tongue? I can do a few lines but a whole dialogue? Haven't really tried. 🤔

First fandom you wrote for? It was Naruto. I'm a genuine KakaIru fan who tipped her toes into fic writing over fifteen years ago.

Favorite fic you’ve written? ... Once again, this is an extremely unfair question. Every fandom phase I've had has had its own favorite fic, so picking just one among them is very rude. So, pass.

Tagging... @marloviandevil @gaogaigar-the-king & @nightfall-1409

Also, taking a page of Caco's book, here are the questions unanswered

How many works do you have on ao3?

What’s your total ao3 word count?

What fandoms do you write for?

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Do you get hate on fics?

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Do you write crossovers?

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

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

What are your writing strengths?

What are your writing weaknesses?

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

First fandom you wrote for?

Favorite fic you’ve written?

[purplesurveys]

1898

Do you ever wonder how Atheist people raise their kids? I do. There's admittedly some envy in there somewhere lol, but it's mostly intrigue about what the dynamics at home must be like. I live in an overwhelmingly Christian population where every single aspect of life is influenced by religion; so considering I've identified myself as atheist in a place where it's virtually nonexistent, it's something I find myself thinking about once in a while.

If you’re atheist, would you raise you kids believing in God or not? Absolutely not. They can explore, ask questions, even pick a faith to go by if they want to; but I will not be the first one to tell them anything about gods.

How long does it usually take you to finish answering a survey? Usually anywhere from 40 minutes to one hour, depending on the length or how fast I can think of my answers.

Do you spell it gray or grey? Gray.

If you make surveys, how do you decide about its title? I don't make them. I'm terrible at coming up with questions.

When are you going back to school? I don't need to; I graduated four years ago.

If you don’t go to school anymore, what do you do? I work in public relations; agency side.

Do you care about other people’s status messages? Like on Facebook? Sure. It's always nice to know what people are up to, the new places they've been traveling to or the life goals they've been reaching. The only theme I don't particularly like encountering are warfreak posts? like when they still subtweet (idk the equivalent term on Facebook haha). Come on sis we're in our mid 20s.

Do you like reading self help books? No.

What is your opinion on sex change? Your body, your choice. Glad to see there's been more opportunities to let this happen for those who need it.

Do you think that this will take away the essence of gay pride? ...What?

What do you do when you tell a really bad joke? I let it eat me up anywhere between 3 to 7 days, lol.

If you’re still a virgin, how important is your virginity to you? Not much, it's never mattered to me. I gave it up when I was 18 and never thought twice about it before or after.

If you have lost it already, do you regret it? No.

Do you believe in marriage? Why or why not? I believe in it, I don't believe it's a life requirement.

Do you like having a huge group of friends or would you rather have few close friends? Few close friends. The older I get, the more I enjoy my own company. That said I only let very few people in my circle now.

Do you have any goals for this summer? If so, what are they? Summer's over, but I didn't set goals. I did travel abroad, which wasn't something I specifically set out to do but was still nice to have done.

Or do you plan on getting a summer job? Or do you already have one? I've had a job the last four years.

If so, where do you work and what do you do? I work in a PR agency, doing PR work for consumer brands. Some of them you definitely know about and consume; some of them more up-and-coming and aptly needing the help.

Do you watch the TV show Skins? If so, who’s your favorite character? Never watched it.

And which generation do you prefer? Or do you equally love both?

Do you know someone who still typpe thiszz wayy? No.

Would you take a break after graduating from high school (like, postpone going to college for a year or so)? I didn't do that. Where I'm from, a gap year is just for the super rich who have safety nets no matter what they do or pursue, so...ew. Most need to fight to live.

Do you feel tired after stretching? No, it feels nice.

Can you get a strike at bowling? Only on Wii Sports, haha.

Do you use Facebook? If so, what is your favorite application there? Yes, but apps stopped being trendy there yearsssss ago.

It seems like everyone’s addicted to Twitter these days - are you? I fucking hate Twitter. I keep it to stay updated and to read translations for all BTS releases, but I stay the fuck out of any conversation. Everyone's always dragging, cancelling, bullying, shaming, discriminating someone else these days on there.

[embersflameboy]

NEVERAFTER COFFEE SHOP AU???

This started as me going haha what if.../jkjk

I don't think its a joke anymore

I think in the town of neverafter there's a small coffee shop/library (like Barnes and Nobles with Starbucks in it except instead of it being like 80% library and 20% Starbucks its more like. 60% library and 40% coffee shop) Henry ownes and works mainly in the coffee shop area while Mother goose works in the library (with their son Jack, who i imagine to be in his late teens because??? Thats the vibe man idk what to tell you)

Mother goose definitely reads to the children, including his own books and other fables and fantasy stories of frogs and princesses.

And then there's Gerard...I imagine him to be Tim & Henry's neighbor and they both looked at the man and his failing marriage and went, yep! We can adopt some late 20~ year old into this family bookstore coffeeshop.

But there's trouble abrewing, as books, snacks, and small toys (mostly snacks and small toys) start to go missing. Gerard finds the culprits and for some reason I imagined him to find the culprits while he's taking the garbage out??? Because. Of course.

The culprits obviously being Ylfa and Pinocchio and Gerard being like. Wtf do I do with them.

(They get adopted into the family, too)

Pinocchio brings in a little cat who Always wears his little cape and boots and if you dare take it off of him you WILL get his claws. His name is Puss in boots but everyone just calls him Pib.

Ylfa meanwhile gets a big wolf stuffed animal from mother goose, who she names The Big Bad Wolf. Because, of course.

I think Pinocchio enjoys the more hands on activities and starts to sculpt little wooden mini figures of the characters that are in the stories Tim reads the children (and him, but he swears he's definitely not listening. Its just a coincidence. Totally.)

Ylfa is a warrior cats fan because, like,

Come on.

Come on.

Rosamund joins the family later when she's got no where else to go and looks to her cousin for help.

On the other side I think the princesses own a shop called Daughters of The Crown thats just a flower shop. They sell variety of flowers and gardening things and trinkets. And. Gerard definitely doesn't stare at the shop where Elody works in (although I imagine its not her full time job? Rather shes there part time.) Hes fine. Everything's fine. Yep. Their marriage is. Totally a-okay.

(No one believes him)

And the last thing to close this. Ramble

I lowkey imagined the lines between to be a mall?????? With Aesop owning a bookstore there too. Idk if everything happens in the line between (mall) or not but. That sure was a thought.

Kinda wanna draw this. But. I've rambled a lot. I'll probably ramble more about this because???? Of course my brain attaches the horror campaign to a Fluffy au. Why wouldn't it.

[voiddemon]

damn girl im for real gonna have to just. make a voiddemon 'here's why everything is this way and here's my bullshit' post. anyway here's every au ever made by MY ASS explained poorly

older orbs: everyone is older, maybe by like 10/20 years. sometimes when i post under older orbs it's like between them being proper adults and them transitioning into being adults. mostly do this with my gay shit because it's fun for me. :) This thing is very very old and has changed a lot as my headcanons have

streamer au: joke au where everyone streams and like every game is just a crazy livestream. most of the time it means the games actually happen and it's livestreamed, but also they just livestream on the side. idk it was fun to draw and think about

LM au: little mermaid skirfluff i've written like. a lot for this shockingly. i lied actually it was only 7k ish words but i've drawn a LOT for it. the whole thing is a lot. go through the lm au tag if you're really interested but tldr mermaids, homosexuals, shadow kirby makes one really stupid decision and it pays the fuck off, dmk is homophobic and got a divorce, prince fluff goes through way too much for a happy ending for real. yin and yarn go through a lot too but they're ultimately good guys. also kin-yarn is canon and somewhat plot relevant, as during the climax they figure out what skirby really is since KINE fuck you. hate and war.

FLIPPEd LM au: very different and not explored super in depth. it's not actually based off the little mermaid really. just makes prince fluff a mermaid who is really homosexual and shadow kirby some guy. yin and yarn are bad guys in this one, since fluff leaves them in charge of everything while he turns himself human to convince skirby to be homogay with him. they then take over but things get better.

western: it's this whole thing and one of those big aus that basically change the whole story and it's like go write a book but no i don't. i haven't posted about it enough to talk about it actually. tldr the mirror world is a physical place, and the mirror worlders start essentially a tiny war with their counterparts. dmk steals galaxia and then gets chased into the fairy lands (k64 land, which hasn't really happened yet), shadow kirby takes a lot of L's then wow what a surprise prince fluff is here, shadow dedede gets his house blown up because dmk and skirby blew up Chateau Dedede (to get galaxia).

anime skirby: Shadow kirby either voluntarily or involuntarily is sent to the animeverse during star allies and grows as a person. he and anime kirby bond and have a cute adoptive brother thing going on and it's the best part of the whole thing. skirby being sent there ultimately puts the world in danger because of how nightmare from the anime works but it all turns out okay in the end'

the unnamed au in which KATAM is delayed until after star allies, but around the time when KATAM should have happened dark mind still appears and takes full control of the mirror world: read the title. uhhh shadow kirby got split into 4 different dudes, shadow dedede is possessed forever and is reduced to a mindless pawn to keep all four of them in check, dark meta knight is girlbossing and thriving and driven by his own ego. the mirror worlders kidnap meta knight to provoke everyone and also for the lols. everyone gets their ass thoroughly kicked. all of the star allies go home happy. prince fluff is a star ally in dmk's place which really isn't relevant but i think it's fun.

evil prince fluff aus: this has so many like offshoots but the main two are: he's gay and evil AND he's just evil. in the gay ones he's usually snapped and lost his shit and decided if he can't be homosexual he's just going to take over the world. in the non-gay ones he's probably possessed by one of the uhh jamba heart things that showed up during star allies. usually yin-yarn is involved regardless of the variant, and he eggs fluff on and works with him (planning to just take over and use him as a puppet eventually)

nightmare scenario: the most out there shit ever actually. nightmare has feelings and is more of a person beyond being a being that only exists to cause nightmares and be bad and stinky and evil. he finds patchland and sets up camp there since it has a dream fountain hidden away from everyone on that planet, and dreamland is close enough on a planetary level that he can hop to the dream fountain there. he creates prince fluff for fun and accidentally brings him to life by dropping him in the dream fountain. Nightmare proceeds to have a custody battle with some fucking guy, he then goes off to be evil and is killed by kirby, then everything else happens as normal and Prince Fluff generally grows up to be haunted by who his father is. nightmare is actually for real dead so over time the universe is shifting the burden of existing as a manifestation of nightmares onto him, which sucks because he's trying to be a good person despite his instincts to do crime. for gay purposes this makes everything SUPER FUCKING COMPLICATED. also prince fluff is hiding who made him from everyone and acting like he doesn't know.

kin-yarn tnt wizards: tjhey have sex on poinjt beta

there's more but like those are the ones i remember/have revealed to the world. you have no idea how much gay shit i have inside my silly brain.

[siffrins-therapist]

Didn't finish that booktuber video last night bcoz I kept nodding off (not bcoz she was that boring it was late and I haven't been sleeping much)

But at one point she said "I get to deconstruct [this book]" after another disclaimer that she wasn't kink-shaming and "you do you". Which yeah, she's right.

Only

Honey

Unless the last 15-20 (?) min of the video is the deconstruction part, then no. That's not deconstruction. It's summarizing the book interspersed with quotes from said book and then ranting about it. Questioning why the author would make the FL 17 at the start but not even bothering to attempt answering that question in an honest attempt at analyzing how her age might play into the book's theme

Like

I didn't read the book. I've considered it, the summary on the back made it sound like there's some obsessivness going on between one of the ML's and the FL and I love me some obsession in a toxic romance. But idk Douglas's work, and idk if they put in much thought into themes and such or if they just wrote what they wrote bcoz it's hot (which is fine, it's smut it's allowed to exist only to be titillating), but if a book reviewer is going to say they have a right to analyze or deconstruct a book, then idk /do/ that??

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

ooooo for the oc ask game, 13 15 20 30 48 and 60? all for Nevaeh btw (am i being sneaky trying to get backstory maybe maybe shhhh)

Aaaaahhh, Saturn, my love! It's always great to have you in my inbox, you know? You did well on your sneakiness, you get a shit ton of lore (it,,,, its really a lot, I don't blame you if you don't wanna read it all lol).

Anyway, this was SO FUN to do! Thanks so much for the ask!! 🤍🤍

13. Do they have anyone they can lean on?

Nevaeh's family is actually quite supportive. I've begun developing a culture and language for the Terrans and it's helped me get a better grip on their (and especially Vae's) intrinsic values. While there is competition between the siblings to become the next Tribe Leader, there's also a deep love and devotion between them.

Terra's culture and religion is based on their home planet. Now I talked about them colonising other planets before, but I only touched on it. Basically, Terra is in a certain point in the galaxy where the Force is stronger than other places (in my AU the Force is viewed as energy (by the Terrans at least) and moves on certain lines through the galaxy. Terra lies on a sort of intersection. This is based on ley lines) resulting in higher midiclorian count in their inhabitants. Because Terra's population outgrew their planet, they colonised other planets (this takes place thousands of years before our story starts, by which point they have stopped colonising and faced the issue) but made sure they were also on these lines. Still the Force (or as they call it va'eyaey -> va meaning life, eyaey meaning energy) is strongest on their original planet, lead by the Tikaani, Nevaeh's Tribe. The Terrans believe that everything that grows out of, or comes from their home planet is holy, because they essentially worship the Force as an entity (seeing as they view it as energy, and everything is made out of energy). 'Grows out of their home planet' therefore also applies to people. So basically, Nevaeh views her siblings & family as a holy blessing and they view her that same way. That's why their connection is so deep. (I realise I'm playing it fast and lose with canon lore, but the Jedi can still adhere to the laws of the Force that we know. They have the same, yet different faith, I guess? different denominations? idk, I hope you get it saturn, if it's not clear pls ask follow ups lol)

last little tidbit about culture and language! I developed a sort of oath for the Terran warriors which might appear in the story, I'm not sure yet. I'm gonna share it here now, bc I'm pretty proud of this one!

Na'kato erih gatar vwe ih aueiili va'eyaey. Terra'na primet, nak'Terra'na setet.

meaning:

My oath is to serve and to protect the energy given through the Force. Terran first, other second.

15. Can you name 5 personality traits they have?

uuuh good question!

1. determined for sure. stubborn is probably the better word, but Nevaeh might get a lil testy when she's called that lol

2. loyal, see explanation above!

3. cunning. Neaveh is sort of the Heroin of this story, but she sometimes does behave a little,,, well she moves in a gray area sort of. The Terrans don't align themselves with either Dark or Light side, so true warriors (like Nevaeh) can be dangerous and hard to predict

4. generous. Even though the Terrans are secretive and don't like outsiders, their focus within their own people is still very much community based. But if you see the oath above, it says that they will serve Terrans first, others second. Nevaeh has always taken that very literally. Serve others, but don't do it at the cost of your own people. As long as it won't harm a single Terran, there's few this girl won't do for you!

5. empathetic. This is based partly on her connection to the Force, but also because, even though she's only in her early twenties, as a warrior, Nevaeh has seen a lot. Leading up to where we meet her in the book, she's experienced a lot since she last saw Obi-Wan. I won't spoil too much, since the story will go into this, but her struggle has made her more human in a way. She is more sympathetic and empathetic because of her trauma. (this might not come through in the first few chapters of the book, but that's because she's pretty tense right now. Once you get to know her better I think this makes sense lol)

6. secret sixth one bc I love saturn :) hot-headed. which I think is obvious if you've read the Prologue and first chapter of When We Bleed, We Bleed The Same lol

20. What do they look like?

So, I posted about this in the past here, but I made some updates on her design. She looks something like this:

She wears her hair down (it's actually much longer than pictured, but I'm not an artist so I use picrews, lol. I love this one a lot, but they didn't have longer hair. It still captures her essence pretty well though!), but if she is on a prolonged mission or yanno,,, maybe involved in a war, maybe? she puts it in dreads, for convenience and protection. She also has a traditional tattoo of remembrance on her entire left sleeve and (when not on mission) wears a ring lip piercing on her lower lip.

30. What music do they enjoy?

I haven't really come up with how Terran music sounds, but I like the idea of their primary way of story telling - but also worship to va'eyaey - to be singing. So that, I assume lol. Just imagining Nevaeh and some other Terrans sitting around a fire with some clones during a campaign and the Terrans are singing about a fight that they won, or that one amazing homecooked meal their mom would make when they were all kids, or how Ethan broke his arm climbing up a tree that one time, or that time they went to a bar and Rose and Vae danced together all night. And the clones just sort of listen to these people sharing about their rich lives in the way they would in their culture, even though they don't really do that with outsiders, so they're just quietly listening and falling in love with the stories and Rex is just looking at Vae like she's everything and WAAAA :')

48. Do they have anything they are trying to hide from others?

Oh yeah, like a fuck ton. Girly is a spy, she has thousands of tricks up her sleeve and knows all the state secrets (even those she's not supposed to know. but hey she couldn't sleep one night, so why not break into hq and get the dirt on all the superiors? (this is not canon, but she would, let's be real))

60. In a crowded room are they in the corners, sides or in the middle?

Depends. Is it a family function? Is it a political function? Is she on a mission? Is she undercover? Is her cover someone who's supposed to be noticed or not?

I think in her natural state without a mission or ulterior motive she'd probably be in the middle. She's a pretty bold social-butterfly lol

Thanks again for the ask, friend! I had such a great time! If you need any follow ups anywhere, just let me know, I'm happy to ramble some more!!

Have a great day/night/whatever, where ever you are! 🤍🤍

[brick-a-doodle-do]

You asked for this

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30.

ORCHIDDDDD WHAT THE FUCK?? !!!!! I WILL ANSWER THESE GLADLY BUT WTFFF 😭

1 : sleeping in or getting an early start?

for weekends, sleeping in

2 : coffee or tea?

i don't really drink either but probably tea

3 : favorite breakfast food?

everything bagels with way too much butter

4 : opinion on brunch?

too fancy for me

5 : how many houseplants do you have?

personally speaking i own none (why take take of a plant if i can't take care of myself?) but my grandparents house has a lot of them that i don't know the count of,,,,

6 : favorite flower?

calendulas (did i spell that right?)

7 : things that always make you smile

interactions between ccs idk why i like them sm but like seeing crimebois orrr alliumduo interact brings such a smile to my face :D maybe it's just the ccs in general? okay people hanging out with tommy is what always makes me smile. okay tommy often makes me smile. but wil does too, and quackity. okay all the ccs make me smile :)

8 : tv show you're currently obsessed with?

unbreakable kimmy schmidt!! binging it atm and am obsessed with ittt 💕

9 : favorite smell and why

gas & those chemical induced markers. if you like them too then you know why :)

10 : your hopes/wishes for the coming week

actually i started like trying to lose weight so i'm hoping i can actually follow through with that instead of fantasizing about it like i do with everything

11 : have you ever been to any pride (activities)?

no i have not, but i'd absolutely love to!!

12 : tattoos or piercings on your wish list

for piercings i want one on my upper ear and MAYBE in my nose but i'm on the fence about that one,,,, and for tattoos i might get like a flower tattoo of a calendula or maybe a brick? lol that sounds dumb but idk. i also want another one but i'm embarrassed to say pff

13 : what helps you fall asleep?

ycgma :D i fall asleep to it every night

14 : any cleaning or organizing life hacks?

No

15 : tell a joke

why did the chicken cross the road?

to get to the other side!!!!!!

16 : i already answered this one!

17 : a book you're currently reading

guided evolution on ao3 💪

18 : what video games do you play?

uhh i don't play video games that often. if i do it's minecraft or roblox or any free games i can find on steam & that one indie website i forget the name of. i also play 2480 or whatever it's called a lot OH OH OH and i love the oregon trail i play that a looot

19 : the last thing that made you laugh out loud

a family member of mine was ordering at a fast food place and they didn't have what the drink he wanted so he said really loudly "WATER PLEASE"

20 : a skill you would like to learn

i would like to develop my writing skills a bit more and learn how to cook better cuz it seems fun

21 : what color would you like to die your hair?

hmm i like my natural color but that's basic so if i HAD to pick one it'd probably be like pink tips? think my pfp's pink,,,

22 : what was the best food you had this week?

oh my god i was on vacation this week so everything was absolutely amazing!! literally everthing i ate would be on this list

23 : a song that makes you feel poweful

idk if it makes me feel powerful but i like am i ready (to be loved) by lizzo like that's a really cool soon the tempo is rlly good and he beat drop is just 😍

24 : how was your day today?

uhh not the best tbh

lots of tears today

25 : are there any big or small decisions you have to make?

at the moment no but if choosing to commit to the weight loss thing counts then yep

26 : if you could be doing anything you like right now, what would you do?

hmm that's kinda hard. there's one thing on the top of my mind rn but that's embarrassing to say so i'll go with continuing my binge of kimmy schmidt :D

27 : what characteristics make a person wonderful?

i've answered smth like this before but honestly it's the aura they give off. if i am alone in a car with them i don't want it to be awkward and completely silent. i want to be able to talk wit the person and yk make memories? i mean it's a given considering my love language is quality time lol

like taking walks with people and enjoying it is just >>>> the best feeling i'll automatically bond with that person even if they don't feel the same way

28 : what characteristics do you like about yourself?

next question

29 : do you play an instrument?

nope but i'm tempted to learn either guitar or piano

30 : how do you feel about this weekend?

uhh saturday was pretty good but today honestly was really hard

it was a fast weekend too so i rate it like a 5.8/10

THANK YOU ORCHID FOR THE ENTIRE LIST LMAO