#ill add a dramatic explosion

[cheatsylu]

Could you draw four and wind being amazing perchance?

Only if you want ofc :)

Unstoppable team of fun-sized heroes!

[space-blue]

Hot Take : Jinx is a DICKHEAD actually~

Before you grab your pitchforks, let me state I'm a big fan of the girl and believe she's the heroine of the tragedy that is Arcane season 1. I hope my works and other meta prove that. She's definitely a poor mew mew and one of my blorbos. That being said, there's a tendency in the fandom to really treat her as a victim, mostly due to her age, her mental illness, and alarmingly, her relationship with Silco.

I was discussing with some fandom friends how much the Silco&Jinx relationship can get skewed, and @book--wyrm pointed out he's a real pushover when it comes to her. It's really the best term, but it doesn't even begin to establish how terrible a person Jinx is.

So let's take a closer look at things...

First off, Jinx has the most insane body count in the show :

I'm censoring the last picture for obvious reasons.

22 people confirmed on screen. 23 if you count Silco. In the space of like 72h. Add to that the one henchman she shoots in ep. 4, who we never see again and can presume dead, the crow she shoots in cold blood (before collecting its feathers and using them as furniture decor and bookmarks), and arguably Mek, who, although not dead, was a loyal member of the gang since prior act 1 and is now in Stillwater.

At no point in Arcane is Jinx shown to feel or express remorse over any of her killings. The only time she says she's sorry is after shooting Silco, which hardly counts as it was done in a haze, etc etc. Even when Silco screams at her for killing enforcers in ep. 4 and potentially ruining his plans all over again, she nods at him happily and laughs it off. She's extremely casual with human life.

The first Firelight deaths are the only ones that count as "on the job" but it's debatable if killing was part of the assignment, as Sevika is extremely pissed and says "you were supposed to protect the cargo", which IMO implies that she wasn't supposed to go and "kill everyone". This wasn't a bait operation designed to kill them. Silco defends Jinx's action because he's weak for her.

All subsequent kills (I'm excluding Silco going forward) are for her own gain or her own vicious pleasure. And she is vicious, and even sadistic.

In the ship she uses her monkey sign to stress out her victims and the "BOOM" on the swing is basically just a joke between herself and her prey.

Likewise when she blows up the enforcers : a fire would be a fine distraction. She could sneak in and out again and steal the gemstone. But no, she wants time to deface the workshop to be dramatic and extra. So she kills a bunch of people in an explosion.

Not just any explosion, but one with again her signature monkey calling card, and on top of that a recording, faking the voice of a little girl to make sure she'll bring in as many do-gooders inside the building as possible.

Then she turns it into an in-joke. A joke between herself and a bunch of soon-to-be-dead people, referencing her own past. As self-centred as it is cruel.

You have to close your eyes and picture her sitting at her workbench in her lair, setting all these bombs on "record" and faking being a little girl... This isn't an in-moment thing. Jinx almost never improvises. Like everything in Jinx's life bar her first meeting with Vi, it is coldly planned and calculated and utterly fucked up. Again, afterwards she shows no remorse and is amused at Silco's ire. Clearly stealing the gem makes everything worth it, because it'll show him she's "not weak". She isn't computing further than that.

Hence this particular episode also shows a pretty strong disregard for Silco as a person. His entire life's work is this long con against Piltover. She doesn't ask or suggest doing this heist, she just does it. Not because she believes it'll be helpful for Silco's plans, but simply to prove herself after freaking out for having "shown weakness". She could have ruined everything, and though she gifts Silco the gem and hugs him, she doesn't apologise. Silco certainly bends in a pretzel to brush the consequences off of her afterwards though, pushing Marcus to blame the Firelights.

Her disregard for life/collaterals/consequences even extends far enough that she nearly shoots her own sister.

I was originally a little mean to Vi as right after this we're shown Jinx truly defending her life and Vi is all like "Powder, no!" As if she's horrified to see the change she just told Jinx she accepts and understands. Vi felt hypocritical.

Although some of the hypocrisy remains, I think Vi's shock is more directed towards Jinx's clear enjoyment of herself as she gets so into this killing biz that she nearly hits her.

Again later on the bridge Jinx is shown to shoot directly at Vi (even if you use the argument that she's trying to divide Cait & Vi, nobody sane uses heavy weaponry for that, and they barely avoided being shot).

It's also pretty symbolic that she shoots an enforcer point blank, without even looking at him. She's come full circle, and is now basically the Zaunite version of this enforcer.

She's become what she hates, and a beautiful example of violence breeding violence.

Her actions against Ekko deserve their own meta analysis, but it's still pretty harrowing that after Vi leaves her once more (you know, after Jinx blew her gf up and shot at them), her reaction is to blow Ekko (the only other person she has from "back then") and herself up.

Next up, Jinx shows a constant disregard for people's boundaries, including the people close to her.

See how Thieram gets forced into that hug? Here's a still of him as he cringes away. He also flinches when she comes reaching for her drink. Clearly this isn't the first time she's crossed his boundaries, or else he's seen her do some serious shit to others. Of course he's given excellent justifications for his worries.

But then you've got Sevika. Oh, Sevika! Jinx rigs her father's office with toxic gas, and isn't it lucky that the next person to step in is Sevika, and not Silco (lol imagine!)

Then she straps her to a chair, stabs her in her prosthetic, and when she comes around, slaps her and drags her hand across her face before threatening to maim her. Look at Sevika hating being touched and Jinx leaning into it precisely because of it. Look at her grin! Ah, enjoying assault!!

All of this drama, violation of personal space, straight up physical abuse, etc, just because Jinx wants an answer to a QUESTION. And it's a question Sevika would looove to answer! "No need," she says against the threats to her arm, but honestly there was "no need" to do any of this to her either.

Then Jinx proceeds to deface her father's property (his map, but more importantly Vander's knife, which we presume is dear to him), and hang his second in command to the ceiling, labelling her a liar. And like... Seriously, what if this had been the last straw for Sevika?

She's bound to Silco by the show's writing, but who in their right mind would tolerate to be knocked out twice by their boss' kid, besides the other abuse? Knowing the kid will face no repercussions? What if Sevika had left and taken some loyal people with her? Another occasion where Jinx acted with total disregard for Silco's plans and operation. Worse, what if Sevika had taken Finn up on his betrayal idea and killed Silco to replace him herself and be rid of Jinx? There's just no good justification for treating Sevika like this (in world. In the story it's to set up Sevika's potential betrayal and Jinx's characterisation, ofc).

Then for more distrust and violation of personal space, let's move to Jinx straddling Silco, trapping his hands under her, and using his medical equipment to torture him as punishment for a lie. In this situation there's a real lie (of omission), and a perceived lie (about knowing Vi was alive).

It's the biggest case of pushover good dad Silco bar the final scene [Nobody tell me he's a bad dad when after everything she puts him through, the moment she rips the gag off of him his first reaction is to turn on Vi and scream at her to STOP DEADNAMING MY DAUGHTER. Nobody is more team-Jinx than Silco]

Anyway, first she scares him, manhandles him, and he's like "Where have you been" not "WTF are you doing" or "WTF did you do to Sevika" or any of the more... reasonable things to ask her. He treats her like his stray kitten.

Then things get ominous as she traps his hands, grabs him by the jaw... And this tough crime lord lets it all happen without much protest. When Jinx alludes to Vi not being dead, things go like this :

"I can explain" — stab — "Don't move silly, I might hurt you" (classic Jinx playing with her prey) — [explanation] — stab — "but when you found out she came back, you lied" — stab

She stabs him THREE (3) TIMES instead of listening to his willing explanations! Another pretty dire example of Jinx using violence on the closest thing she has to a "loved" one, to get an answer to a question Silco would most likely answer happily if SHE WOULD ONLY ASK.

Think what you will of Silco's little speech to her, but when he frees his hand, he grabs her arm, and gently moves up to her wrist, but he never even pulls her hand from its grip on him. He just touches her and serves her his "pls recall I'm daddy" talk, which finally calms her down some, though I doubt it worked as well as it should have.

All Jinx knows is how to set traps and ambush people, even the people close to her. Those who let her come near are rewarded with mean tricks. The only person she's showing any kindness to is Silco, yet she also routinely abuses him. It hints that such behaviours are probably common enough.

Silco on the other hand never even so much as pushes her off. His most brutal action against her was to grab a tool from her hand while yelling at her [after she killed 6 enforcers and potentially destroyed his lifelong struggle, might I remind you].

She doesn't trust anyone, not even Silco, but also not Vi. She barely trusts herself.

Jinx seems to have no goals besides gratifying her own needs. She strives for control, always being on top of all her relationships, using tricks when she can't make do with direct violence, pulling the intel she wants out of people like the smallest of interaction has to be a confrontation. She has to know, be ready, have a trick up her sleeve at all times. She also strives for a sense of respect, having to feel useful and "strong".

Yet she doesn't seem to be on board of Silco's Nation of Zaun cause. She is routinely acting against his plans and and against his benefit. Almost every action she takes in act II and III directly opposes Silco's progress, besides completing Fishbones (too late).

Going back to the bridge scene, if Jinx could just take a moment to think, and if a free Zaun was really on her mind, she'd realise that, well, her sister is ALIVE, and even if she retreats to Piltover for now, Jinx could just find her again once the tensions are resolved and Silco gets his free Zaun (which seems to be imminent).

Worse, when Ekko stops hitting her, she could use his hesitation. Could manipulate him. There's no way he'd kill her in cold blood after that moment. Heck, she could just throw him off and run away. She has the gem (and he doesn't know that). Silco has asked her to please complete the weapon, but again, getting the gem to him takes a backseat to a rushed emotional response in the face of rejection and hurt.

Doesn't it suck that Marcus was totally right, and that removing Jinx would be doing Silco a favour?

In conclusion I think it's fair to argue that Jinx is the more abusive of the two when it comes to her relationship with Silco, and her relationships in general.

She manipulates, plays mind games, leans into the terror and discomfort she inspires in others and seems to relish it, routinely displays cruelty, hurts animals and people without remorse.

She's as cold blooded as the enforcers who killed her parents and only ever tied to a higher cause out of her desire for gratification and Silco's approval and perceived respect.

While I'm sure she's not always that terrible (it was a stressful 72h tbf), you don't develop such traits overnight, and people don't cringe away from you if you don't have a history of being a turbo dickhead.

I understand the drive to "protecc" mew mew Jinx, but I wish she weren't so readily excused by fandom, or worse, that her behaviour wouldn't be so often pushed aside to accuse Silco of bad parenting. He was certainly faaaaaaaaar too lax with her, needing her as a buoy in an uncaring sea of betrayal and unresolved trauma, but I don't think she became who she is solely due to him or even her trauma. [insert rant against Piltover and its systemic oppression here]

Also, let's recall this is the face Powder makes when she really hopes her bomb filled with nails and shrapnel explodes and maims her pursuer.

Although she's consistently shown to hate the idea of being directly involved in violence, she's very pro fucking enforcers up and is being validated by her sister for MAKING BOMBS.

I guess I just wanted to rip off the rose-tinted glasses for a moment and really look at Jinx's dynamics without trying to excuse them. I feel like the Silco corner of the fandom has done a great job looking at his actions and his motivations before accepting him for who he is (a dickhead, but in different ways). The Jinx corner just... seems to have a tendency of being blinded by the cuteness, the mew mew factor, and the ready excuses of her psychosis and trauma. And we should definitely look at them and see how they impact her character and inform her actions but...

Unhinged mass murdering dickhead characters are deserving of our love and we don't need to excuse them to enjoy them. Jinx is worthy of being dotted on and being a blorbo. She's the heroine of a tragedy. She doesn't deserve what the show throws at her. But she deserves to be properly seen and understood (for the dickhead she is lol)

[rpbetter]

PTSD or C-PTSD?

Hopefully, you’re not one of the muns out there who has slapped a “PTSD” label on your muse(s) for drama only. You are, instead, treating this topic with respect and the realism that comes with that, not only having it accurately impact your muse when it’s convenient and “fun” for you. Well, that respect and realism includes actually knowing and applying the correct diagnosis and symptoms as well.

In your defense, if you have misdiagnosed your muse, common terminology in media and even among trauma sufferers is often just the blanket-statement of PTSD. Also, as the abbreviations imply, they do have things in common. 

To help, I’m going to break down their differences and similarities, then provide some research links including personal accounts to help you get started.

PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder most often comes from a single traumatic event.

What can be a traumatic event can differ widely, and reasonably so; we’re not all the same person, processing events and emotions the same way, or with the same formative life experiences. What might cause PTSD to develop in one person might be processed by another as a frightening or painful incident, but not one that has left them with PTSD. The symptoms, individual, and incident have to all be taken into account.

That being said, some examples would include:

having a severe accident

being mugged or in a store that is robbed

physical or sexual assault

being involved in a shooting, in any way

death of a loved one

an unexpected explosion or sudden, natural event like a mudslide or tornado

a severe natural or man-made disaster (building collapse, mass flooding)

events outside of oneself like witnessing a violent assault, murder, deadly car accidents, terminal illness or injury

Again, it is important to remember that individuals react in individual ways, and as such, their symptoms can express with some variation. Don’t just mimic the same presentations you’ve seen in media, research a variety of real experiences.

However they manifest, key symptoms of PTSD include:

Re experiencing the event by way of nightmares, flashbacks, and repetitive, intrusive, and intensely upsetting images, thoughts, and sensations. This is the most common symptom of PTSD, in which the person involuntarily and vividly relives the trauma.

Avoidance and emotional numbing, going to extremes to avoid not just potential triggers, but also finding any way possible to push memories of the event out of their minds. When the latter occurs and is extreme, the person is trying to feel nothing at all, seeking a path to emotional numbness. That can include substance use and abuse, self-harming, and other harmful behaviors.

Feeling on edge (”Hyperarousal”) is the ultimate inability to relax, constantly looking for threats, perceiving threats that are not to be found, and being easily startled. Some of the common issues with being locked into this state include difficulty sleeping or even insomnia, severe irritability and irrational seeming aggression, angry or aggressive outbursts, and finding concentration difficult to impossible.

Some other things that might develop with PTSD are:

Other mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, and/or phobias

as said above, harmful behaviors like self-harming and substance abuse

physical symptoms like headaches, stomach and digestive upsets, dizziness, and generalized pain

Like all disorders, PTSD is complex. I, again, implore you to research not only information put out by psychiatric professionals but also the experiences of real people.

C-PTSD

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder occurs when a person experiences repeated, consistent trauma, especially at an early age.

That doesn’t mean that adults cannot and do not develop C-PTSD, they do, and for a variety of reasons; adult sufferers have the same points of origin in the diagnosis as children do. Additionally, it may take years for someone to seek help, feel their symptoms are severe enough to need to, or be able to extricate themselves from the situation in order to receive help of any kind. They may be an adult by the time this happens.

The important thing to remember about C-PTSD is that it isn’t a single traumatic incident, and you are more likely to have this form of PTSD if the trauma occurred early in life, it was inflicted by someone close to you, and/or was inflicted by someone you still see on a regular basis.

Some good examples to give you the idea include:

ongoing domestic violence

child abuse and/or neglect

being raised by a parent with a severe disorder like Narcissistic Personality Disorder

repeatedly witnessing violence or abuse

torture

kidnapping

being a part of a cult

being a victim of human trafficking or slavery

It isn’t “complex” because it is always across the board “more severe.” This isn’t simply “even worse PTSD,” and shouldn’t be treated like that. Its source is more complex, the development and embedded varieties of its impact are, and the ongoing treatment is.

Particularly when C-PTSD occurs in childhood, there are lasting effects on a person’s development. They have developed in an environment that constantly has them highly stressed both physically and psychologically, and in which they learn many ways of coping, lessening or negating harm, and so on, that leave them less than optimally functional and integrated in life outside the situation.

While the person has the symptoms of PTSD, they will additionally exhibit:

difficulty developing and/or maintaining relationships of any sort

intense, consistent feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt

problems managing and even understanding their own emotions

suicidal thoughts

dissociation

increased risk-taking behaviors

Those who have had their actual development rerouted to deal with the situations that generate C-PTSD have a higher incidence of physical symptoms, suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, and are at higher risk of repeat victimization.

They might go for some time without realizing that their daily experiences are neither the norm nor something sustainable, or how atypical their traumatic experiences were compared to those around them. It can sometimes take a serious life-event (suicide attempt, drug rehab, losing too many jobs, homelessness, or finding themselves in a genuine, loving relationship) for them to fully recognize something is wrong, and even then, their feelings of worthlessness, ingrained lack of self-confidence, and belief that they don’t deserve any better can prevent them from seeking help outside of themselves.

They may also believe that something is just “wrong” with them, that they are innately messed up, or that they have a different mental illness. And the unwillingness to open up to people, relieve events, etc. can additionally leave them unwilling to seek or continue care when they believe they have a different, underlying problem. Again, choosing to deal with this themselves through self-isolating, self-medicating, and seeking only relationships and jobs that will work within the framework of the disorder as it effects them.

Additionally, many sufferers of both C-PTSD and PTSD experience the same sense of societal shaming surrounding mental illness. They may struggle with denial, and refuse to seek assistance due to the stigma and all it entails.

Shared aspects of PTSD and C-PTSD

They’re both, obviously, severe, life-altering trauma experiences and resultant disorders. They both easily make the sufferer feel like the trauma and disorder is impossible or undesirable for others to deal with, that they are not worthy of being in close relationships, among many other similarities in experience living with either disorder regardless of widely varying traumas.

They share psychological and physical impacts, and there is a lot of overlap.

The core symptoms of PTSD are shared with C-PTSD:

relieving the trauma(s)

avoiding and emotional numbing

hyperarousal

The shared physical symptoms can include:

headaches

nausea, stomach ache, and digestive upsets

difficulty sleeping and insomnia

sweating, clamminess

chest pain and difficulty breathing

manifestations of low-grade to severe pain

dizziness

Shared behaviors can include:

difficulty concentrating to outright dissociating

self-harm

substance abuse

being hyper-vigilant, easily startled

may seem to be over-reactive to/in situations that others are perceiving as normal or not that big of a deal due to lower perception of personal emotions and lower emotional regulation

including explosive anger or defensiveness

development of anxiety and depression disorders, the symptoms thereof

Again, both PTSD and C-PTSD are serious disorders caused by trauma, and they both need to be treated with respect and accuracy when written into a character - be that an OC or a canon character. It is unfortunate, but these symptoms and the realities of life with either disorder are often portrayed badly in wider media, and the RPC often imitates what it sees.

PTSD and C-PTSD, like the incidents of trauma that created them (rape, child abuse, domestic violence, miscarriage, etc.), are not a plot-point, other point of interest, or a character trait, let alone a “character flaw.” They’re not something you only bring up for attention, to get your muse out of a bad spot, or to add dramatics when you’re bored in a thread. Neither are they something you need to attach to your muse simply to give them A Label. These are, I cannot stress this enough, serious topics, and they deserve to be treated that way.

You can do that by defining which variety of PTSD your muse may actually have, then adding research of both the disorder and how it impacts a variety of real people. Making your muse more realistic and being dedicated to sticking with it.

Below are some links to get you started on research! Please note, the real stories, as well as some information, may be graphic or triggering. Read responsibly.

C-PTSD

Out of the Storm - Personal Stories of C-PTSD 

-Contains real stories from those with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Their experiences have a huge range; bullying, childhood neglect and abuse, and sexual abuse and assault.

 I Have Post-Traumatic Stress and Didn’t Know It - and You Might, Too

-Personal story of living, unknowingly, with C-PTSD. An especially great read for writers who have muses who hold a lot of responsibility in their daily lives, who may not realize their experiences are C-PTSD related, etc. Contains discussion of parental emotional abuse, mental illness and childhood trauma, and rape.

What is C-PTSD?

-Excellent resource for detailed breakdowns of C-PTSD giving without a clinical, impersonal tone. The definitions of the disorder itself, symptoms and how it manifests and impacts daily life, and much more. A highly recommended source, and one with further resources on-site.

 11 “Habits” of People Living with C-PTSD

-Short breakdown of C-PTSD, followed by snippets of specific experiences in the words of those living with the disorder, a relatively short article.

PTSD

Rebecca’s Story: Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

-Personal story of a woman living with PTSD from, in short, being stalked by a co-worker. It’s an excellent article, particularly for how mental illnesses sufferers are treated and portrayed, and how that adds another layer of difficulty to their lives. Obviously, this may be triggering to those who have been stalked, and includes mentions of graphic threats.

My experience of PTSD

-A personal story of medical trauma resulting in PTSD. Many of the PTSD stories you’ll find are from women and involve sexual trauma or harassment, in trying to find a variety of stories, I’ve found this one. By this point, you should be noticing many similarities in these stories, regardless of specific trauma.

Leaving the Battlefield: Soldier Shares Story of PTSD

-So many muses experience PTSD through battle-related incidents, and those depictions are not always accurate in media. This is a personal story about one soldier’s experiences. His perception of PTSD, denial, and shame at having the disorder is something that echoes throughout the previous accounts. So do the similarities of daily struggles to maintain to regular life. Before anyone wants to get Tumblr Nasty about it: there isn’t any “war propaganda” present in this story, the location of it is irrelevant to what you’re supposed to be learning here. It’s literally this man’s experience, don’t.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

-Breakdown of symptoms and causes from Mayo Clinic, so obviously, this is more clinical-minded. Particularly useful for its lists of things like “symptoms of negative changes in thinking and mood” and increased risk-factor for other disorders.

I hope this helps you to assess and write more accurately your muses with C-PTSD or PTSD, and to consider these things more fully when having your muse experience a traumatic event in your plots.

-------

Please, remember when you are reading these accounts, and anywhere you might encounter PTSD sufferers; these are REAL PEOPLE. Treat them and their stories with respect. You’ll note that, unlike other posts on this blog, I didn’t advise you to approach the source. Many trauma sufferers won’t be comfortable sharing their experiences for the sake of your creative hobby. You may, at your respectful discretion, discuss this with close friends you know to be impacted by PTSD, just keep in mind that respect, discretion, and only bringing the topic up when they are comfortable with it, with specific questions, is necessary here. These are not fictional characters! Do not write someone’s real experiences into your character, thread, etc. verbatim, that’s...fucked up. Thanks in advance for being responsible, respectful adults, from a real life PTSD sufferer. -Vespertine

[wordsnstuff]

Guide to Writing Mystery Thrillers

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

–

Horror vs. Thriller: Fear vs. Suspense

The main difference between thrillers and horror is the effect it has on the reader. Yes, both genres are meant to “scare” the reader, but with a thriller, the ending is less predictable. It’s about the building tension that comes with the unknown. The writer’s goal is to unsettle the reader, make the fear of the unknown be the main aspect and make their heart rate rise steadily over the course of the plot. Horror is repeatedly scaring the reader, though the tension is lesser because a horror story is one of inevitable doom. It’s not so much about if, but rather when and how. Thriller is about that sweet, slow dribble of ice water down the reader’s back, while horror is splashing them repeatedly in creative and shocking ways. 

Balancing the Tension

With the tension being the most important element in a thriller, you must balance this carefully and you can do so by utilizing the mystery aspect. You can build the tension with events and the steady state of unknowing, but you can also use the mystery to relieve or ramp up the suspense. Mysteries introduce time-sensitivity into the plot, as well as identifiable risk and payoff, but it also preserves that feeling of unpredictability. You need to be careful to keep the tension thick enough that the plot twist is surprising, but not unexpected. Readers should expect a dramatic shift in the trajectory, but they should be completely shocked at what it actually is. 

Suspension of Disbelief

Mysteries and thrillers do not have the luxury that thriller does of a reader coming in with their sense of what is and isn’t “realistic” being thrown out the window. Readers of the mystery thriller genre expect an air of credibility and when their predictions and deductions are thwarted for something completely illogical, it isn’t a pleasant surprise. The suspension of disbelief comes in the details that may or may not be stretched for fictional purposes, but the meat of the story, the mystery and all the steps within, do not have that wiggle room. Exercise deep, critical thought when developing the plot development and the characters themselves because the reader is paying attention. 

Choose the Right Antagonist

Antagonists in mystery thrillers are a great opportunity for creative freedom. Yes, readers expect the antagonist to surprise them or be clever, but your job isn’t to fool the reader, it’s to impress them with how cleverly you masked or built up the reveal of the antagonist; the result of their sleuthing. You don’t always have to choose some minor, seemingly insignificant character to be the antagonist at the end. There’s so many roads you can choose, such as making the protagonist the murderer, a family member the thief, the romantic partner the deceiver, etc. Don’t try to avoid cliches in this part of the plot, because it’s impossible. Every possible ending has been done in some way or another. Try to be original in the way you reveal them and be clever about developing the antagonist to have as much impact on the reader as possible. 

Meaningful Death

Death isn’t as rampant in thrillers as in other suspenseful genres, but it’s still important to note that all death should have a purpose and a consequence. It should always serve the plot, and it should always have an observable effect on the characters. Killing characters (especially main characters) to build suspense or stakes doesn’t work and it reads as lazy. Keep the purpose and consequence in mind, and be open to death and where it takes the story. 

Common Struggles

~ How do you create a good mystery thriller plot?... It depends on what you like about the genre. If you prefer to have the majority of the story surround the actual mystery and the development of its nuance, then focus the plot around that and sprinkle the suspense throughout. If you want the mystery to be the catalyst for a bigger, more complicated emotional conflict, then structure accordingly. It’s really about what you want to say and how you would want to hear it. 

~ How do you balance a subtle build up without making the twist look like it came out of nowhere?... Action and reaction. Every twist and turn should be traceable to a series of identifiable events throughout the previous chapters. Your readers should be able to see the breadcrumbs when they read the story a second time. That’s how you know the subtlety works, rather than dropping two or three breadcrumbs throughout 16 chapters and then drop the whole remaining loaf in chapter 17. 

~ How do you create a spooky, thrilling atmosphere?... Writing style. It’s all about writing style, I promise. Utilize some of the staples, like shorter sentences leading up to an explosive moment, visceral vocabulary about something seemingly mundane, etc. Over-describing things to have that “this normal thing doesn’t seem so harmless anymore” or under-describing things that the reader would assume requires more focus. Either turn up the volume or turn it way down. These little aspects in the vocabulary and structure you use add up and work wonders for tension and suspense. Also:

A Guide To Tension & Suspense

How To Perfect The Tone

~ How can I make the reader like the villain, despite their actions?... I have a couple resources for this, which you may find helpful:

Writing Good Villains

Creating Villains

Villains with good intentions

Other Resources

How To Write A Good Plot Twist

How To Foreshadow

Flipping Character Traits On Their Head

Plot Structures

Calculating Emotional Reactions

Keeping Characters Realistic

Tips On Writing About Mental Illness

Character Who’s Smarter Than You

Making Characters Unpredictable

How To Engage The Reader

Including More People of Color In Your Story

“Male characters are more relatable”

Writing Good Villains

Creating Villains

Showing Vulnerability Without Death

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven Stories

Resources For Crime/Mystery/Thriller Writers

Tips on Writing Pyschological Thrillers

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1900-1939

Resources For Writing (Global) Period Pieces : 1940-1969

Historically Accurate Dialogue

Creepy Ex-Girlfriend

Tips on Introducing Backstory

Writing Other Eras

Resources For Writing The Mafia

Guide to Story Researching

Commentary on Social Issues In Writing

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

On Writing About Sensitive Topics

Avoiding The Romanticization of Mental Illness

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

Shoutout to my $15+ patrons, Jade Ashley and Douglas S.!

[honeypirate]

Just In Case

Part two

Pro hero Bakugou x fem pro hero reader

in my world Recovery Girl lives forever and trains another who can replace her when she retires who she passes the hero title of recovery girl too.

Anyway on to the story that’s probably not as good as I want but oh well.

Warning- angst. Death. Blood. Ya know the works.

Inspiration- Murder In the City // The Avett Brothers

You write a letter every day. A new one so it stays relevant. Every morning you took ten minutes to quickly write out a letter just in case anything bad happens while you’re at work.

You see, being a hero isnt all rainbows and butterflies and ranks. Sometimes it’s boring. But other times, it’s scary and horrifying. Those days where you barely make it out on top because the villains were crafty.

After one hard therapy session filled with worries and tears, your therapist suggested letters. At least one. To your husband. Just in case.

This morning wasn’t different than your last, you can hear your husband in his office across the hall, humming a song you listened to at dinner the previous night. He made your heart happy with everything he did, minus the way he left his used teeth floss sticks on the counter or the way he could be a little loud.

Every morning you write this letter, periodically meeting his eye through your open doors and he’d wink, making you laugh and stick your tongue out.

Today you watched as he moved, methodical, he’s done this every morning and it shows but he still takes care with every movement.

“Are you ready?” He says as he crosses the hallway “we’re needed in half an hour so we should go soon” you smile at him and somethjng settles in your stomach. Something heavy and uncomfortable. Something wrong.

“Yeah I’m almost done” you say and he watches as you fold your letter and place it in an envelope, writing his name followed by ‘just in case’ then sticking it in your top drawer.

The letters he’s been told about. The letters he supports. He’s actually been writing his own to you as well but you both agreed that you can’t read then unless it’s actually happening.

You try to not focus on the hard substance in your stomach or the way it seems to ache. It’s a bad feeling but sometimes your anxiety could cause them for no reason so you tried not to pay too much attention to it.

“Ready” you say softly, pulling down your hero mask to press your lips to his for a moment. He helps you readjust your mask with a pink flush in his cheeks. You’ve been married for years but making him blush is as easy as it was day one.

(Skippy skip)

The villains were smart, drawing all the heroes to different locations. You were climbing the stairs of an abandoned building, going to see if the intel about a bomb on the third floor was true, which unfortunately, it was.

Your hands hovered over the bomb, using your electric quirk to cancel out the wires and stop the timer. A scuffing sound catches your attention and you’re dodging a metal rod that was thrown at you to only be stabbed by one from a different direction.

The villain could control metal with his quirk, throwing the rod at you from one direction when he was coming from a different side. “Huh” you say softly as you look down at the rod through your stomach, the pain not even registering yet. “Poor unfortunate hero.” He lifts you by the metal rod and you scream, white hot pain shooting through you as it tears your abdomen as he slams you into the ground, pushing the rod further through you until it connects to the concrete floor.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay long. I have a hot date later” he says as he restarts the bomb, placing it farther from you so you couldn’t reach it with your powers, then he’s hopping from the third story window and waving at you with a smirk.

Your hand flies to your ear piece “There’s a bomb! Third floor tallest abandoned building in the-“ and that’s all you can get out before the bomb goes off and the building is collapsing.

The area was covered in dust and smoke, ash falling from the sky. You ripped your mask off trying to get more air into your lungs but it didn’t help that a giant piece of concrete was crushing your right arm and part of your ribs and chest, not to mention you’re still attached to the rod.

“Bakugou” you say through your headpiece, coughing up blood and ash “where are you?” He shouts back “the bomb” you muttered back and it sounded wheezy, you could hear the fluid in your lungs. You heard more explosions before he was appearing right beside you.

“Hey there hot stuff” you say and chuckle softly as he brushes the dust out of your hair “I’ll get you out of here. You’ll be okay” he’s saying but his eyes are filling with tears and his brows are knit. “It’ll be okay” you say but he does not look in your eyes. He’s still fretting, trying to think of how to save you.

“Bakugou.” You say in a commanding voice and he looks at you “you’ll be okay” you whisper, your blood covered lips smiling gently. You reach up with your left hand and cup his cheek, brushing away the hot tears that have started to fall. “You’ll be okay” you say again, your voice sounding weaker “no” he whispers “no. I’ll save you. You’ll be fine. I’ll get you help” kirishima is in your headpiece, telling you how he’s sent first responders your way but you can’t hear him.

Your voice is quiet, your hand going limp and falling from his cheek “You are the best part of me”

He doesn’t know where he’s going. He left the police station and was just walking. He couldn’t go home. Not when it was your home too. Not when he knows he’ll just be reminded of you and how you smiled at him this morning. How he woke up to you kissing his neck. How that will never happen again.

Walking into the office he didn’t bother with any of the lights. He puts in his alarm code and numbly makes his way to your office.

If you’re reading this. That means I’ve died.

Oh god I’ve always hated these letters. It’s so dramatic. I’m going to be okay. I have to be.

But just in case, since were up against major villains every day, I’ll write this letter. The 54th I’ve written so far.

Anyway I would regret not saying anything if it was my last day alive. I know I’m going to go home tonight and hold you, kiss you, and spend it like it was my last. This won’t be different than the last 53 letters I’ve shredded.

But. Life is short. It’s short and before you know it it can be snuffed out like a candle in the wind. So here we go.

If I get murdered in the city tomorrow, don’t go revenging in my name. A person dead from such is plenty, no need to go get locked away. I know you’ll blame yourself and get mad and swear revenge. Bakugou I love you. Let go of the hate and the rage. All I want is you to be happy and you to be okay.

But there’s no need to get over alarmed, I’m coming home I know it.

(His tears start to hit the paper, hot big tears blotting the ink and making it hard to see. )

So if tomorrow is my last day. Ill leave this letter in my desk.

Don’t bother with my belongings. Things never really mattered to me, you know that. Donate them. Burn then. Whatever you want.

Tell my sister that I love her. That I’m sorry if she ever doubted that.

I wonder what my parents will say. Probably that they were proud of me. Please let them know how much I loved them. How much I loved my childhood.

Now for you, my love, my sweetheart. The love of my life I’m sure of it. There was nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name. The love that let me share your name for these few years.

Thank you. For loving me. For supporting me. For choosing me every day. I’ve never doubted it once. I’ll always be with you, even if you can’t see me.

I'm watching you in your office right now, youre humming that song that played at the restaurant last night.

If I had never seen your face this world would have been such a very different place for me. It would be quieter and colorless. You have truly given me so much in this life that I can never hope to repay you.

You can never know which way your heart will go, but you are the compass leading mine. It will always point to you.

You’ve made me feel alive made me want to live so I could experience all my dreams coming true with you by my side.

I don’t know what else to add

Please, if you know anything, let it be that you were my greatest happiness in life.

I’ll always come home to you

I love you

-y/n

His hand is shaking as he finishes the letter.

He takes a sharp inhale and his knees give out, falling to the floor beside your desk with a soft gasp that turned into a sob as he broke down.

“You. You promised” he whispered between sobs, not even bothering to wipe away the tears as he hugs his arms around himself, hunching forward as his tears make soft patting sounds as the hit the hard wood floor.

He doesn’t know how Kirishima found him but when he runs through the office and sighs with relief when he finds him, he doesn’t move. He stays, broken on the floor, sobbing. Kiri doesn’t freeze, he’s there in a second, wrapping his arms around his best friend. Trying to give him a little comfort.

Kirishima's phone rings and Bakugou growls, taking it from his hand as kiri goes to silence it, pressing answer without looking to see who it is “what” he yells out, his nose stuffy and throat constricted showing how much he’s been sobbing.

Recovery Girls voice is stern through the receiver “You need to get down here right away. She’s alive.”

[themurphyzone]

PatB: Snowball Ep Talk

You know, I really do love the episode Snowball (my personal favorite AKOM episode) but I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it here much, and if I did it’s probably really only because of the flashback sequence. 

Okay so all looks good so far. Chain letter scheme and superstition, a standard introduction to Brain’s latest plot of world domination. All looks good. Plus I just like this shot of Pinky. Don’t mind me, just starting off light here with a smushed Pinky. 

I just like Pinky’s pose here. He’s so cute. 

You will bow before Troz.

“I met a Snowball today! Right here in the lab!” -Pinky

You know, I just find the implications of this line hysterical. This means that Snowball was in the lab that day, waiting for the moment to strike, and he definitely pushed his stolen chain letter through the mail slot. 

And then he lets Pinky see him, and no it’s not just a passing glance either cause Pinky specifically describes a tattoo with an A and a circle and points to his leg. Which means Snowball deliberately lifted the fur on his leg and showed his tattoo to Pinky. 

Like, wow. 

“It means, Pinky, that evil lurks among us. By the name of Snowball! SNOWBALLLLLLLL!” -Brain 

Talk about a bad breakup. *Alexa play Bad Blood*

Personally I think one of the interesting visual cues is that Snowball purposely plants himself into the mice’s space. There’s a lot of that in this episode. He knows how to rile up Brain and hit him where it hurts, namely through Pinky. 

Brain values his personal space, and he values a sense of control. When Snowball invades that space, Brain loses control, and his anger can lead him to make some very ill-informed decisions. Which is exactly what Snowball aims for. 

“You think Pinky is an asset?” 

“Anything I can take from you is an asset.”

Ah yes, Snowball’s mission statement. Crush everything Brain has into dust. 

The flashback sequence. Dear God this flashback sequence. They were both so cute! 

You know, it’s really sad that a younger Brain acted more like Pinky. Making silly faces and trying to get someone to laugh are such Pinky things to do. I know canon is loose but if you consider this flashback taking place shortly after Brain was captured from the wild, then young Brain didn’t gain a grasp on what happened to him until after the gene splicer.  

Ok but Brain was literally right there when the gene splicer exploded. Imagine having your cranium size dramatically increase, you’re injured, you’ve suddenly gained sentience, and as if all that wasn’t enough, you see the gene splicer explode with your only friend inside. 

Oh, and said friend’s mind was probably damaged in the explosion and now he hates your guts. And though you’re angry with him for his betrayal, some part of you will never stop caring about him. 

Once again, Snowball needs to learn to keep his hands to himself. 

This conversation here establishes Snowball as the perfect third character. He appears only in a handful of eps, but he’s fun to watch and love to hate. Snowball challenges the mice’s relationship. Snowball sees the weak points; the insults, the reliance on each other, and twists them to his advantage. And Pinky even admits he’s hurt by Brain’s insults occasionally, though he still loves being around him. 

“Pinky, the Brain doesn’t care about you. He’s just using you.” 

“No, he’s not.”

It’s really interesting to me how Pinky denies Snowball’s statement, yet his ears go down to show that he’s affected by the idea of being used. Pinky and the Brain may be night and day, but one thing they do have in common is their tendency to deny certain things. Brain with emotions and affection and Pinky with concepts he’d rather not admit the possibility of. 

Coming back to this later. 

Non plot related but Brain is teeny tiny and I love how he just trusts Pinky to catch him

Side note: I apologize if any of these screenshots look weird. It’s an AKOM ep. 

WHY ARE YOU TWO SO BAD AT SNEAKING AROUND. 

I just find it hilarious how they clearly run around where Snowball can see and hear them. Like they just shout Snowball’s name in the middle of the room. You’re terrible at being sneaky little mice. Please. 

Those dang boomers and their old timey 90s computers. Technology is ruining boomers. Can’t even hold a conversation anymore cause they keep looking at their screens. 

No touchy! 

Well, it’s awful nice of Snowball to engage in nepotism and offer Brain a position in his administration...and then tempt Pinky with an amusement park when he refuses. 

You really gotta appreciate the complexity of Snowball’s plans. Stealing the chain letter fails->plant seeds of doubt in Pinky’s mind, even if this doesn’t work right off the bat, the idea will still be there-> take over a corporation->impersonate Bill Gates->When the mice show up, offer to co-rule the world on expectations that Brain will refuse->make co-ruler offer to Pinky->wait for Brain to open his big mouth and drive Pinky away. 

All to take everything Brain has. His dignity, Pinky, his meager resources. Like holy Snowball, Batman.  

And then Snowball reveals the amusement park he had specifically built for Pinky. 

And here we have the most heartbreaking line of the ep. If I had the ability video edit I would’ve put the entire line on audio because Brain’s tone is very important here. It’s about 12:38 to 12:57 in the ep if you want to see for yourself. 

“Oh, go ahead, Pinky. I don’t need you. What did you think, I just have you around so I can steal your brilliant ideas and claim them as my own? That I’m just using you, Pinky? Oh yes, I’m using you for your brilliance!” 

First of all, very poor word choice, especially to someone who has trouble understanding sarcasm. I just want to dissect this statement here. 

The Literal Meaning: You’re an idiot to think you were ever more than an assistant. 

This is what Pinky hears. 

But if you listen to Brain’s tone rather than just reading the line, he sounds genuinely hurt that Pinky would ever be tempted by something as frivolous as an amusement park. It’s Pinky, so he just sees ‘ooh fun rides, cotton candy, and carnival games’! 

But Brain is perfectly aware that this is Snowball’s well-crafted method of taking away the only thing he truly has, and he knows it’s working. And he’s hurt. 

The Actual Meaning: Snowball’s trying to separate us and you’re falling for it, Pinky. You may be an idiot, but many of my plans never would’ve come to fruition without you. You’re much more than an assistant. You’re my friend and my world.  

Unfortunately, all Pinky hears is that Brain was only using him. That Brain values him for manual labor and an extra hand only, rather than a treasured companion. The fact that Brain often falls short of making Pinky feel appreciated just adds to this. 

And now that he no longer has Pinky, Brain’s spirit is crushed. Brain is persistent, but without Pinky, he has no reason to be. 

As far as he knows, his only two friends have turned their backs on him and couldn’t care less if he has nowhere else to go. 

Poor thing. He needs hugs. 

“I didn’t think it was possible. Humanity has actually gotten dumber.” -Brain

OK I think this one shot establishes what the world would be like under Snowball. His name is everywhere, and he tells the population to do stupid things just to bask in his own superiority. 

However, I can’t see Brain putting his name on every building so frivolously like this if he ruled the world. Sure, he’d name a bunch of things after himself and Pinky, but it would be more meaningful to them. 

Brain wants humanity to advance, not regress. 

Poor Pinky. Despite all this new extravagance and luxury, he’s also lonely. The room and bed are large, but it lacks personality. He’s sleeping with an ACME Labs snow globe, and other than a reference to Citizen Kane, it also shows that he’s not happy with this. 

The worst thing in the world for these mice is separation from each other. 

Suicide by cat. 

Poor little guy can’t make it on his own. Luckily, he snaps out of it. 

“My world. I must save MY world!” 

Said while looking at a picture of Pinky. Real subtle there Brain. 

“Look, you fool. You have no brilliant ideas. I’m only using you to get at him! So just stay quiet!” -Snowball

“You’re...using me?” -Pinky

He was just a bargaining chip. Never a friend. 

“What do you want?” 

“My friend. And MY world!”

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

He makes martial arts noises like a dork. I love him. 

I love how their characters are reflected in the mecha designs (also I had no idea Snowball was Iron Man!) 

Snowball’s is overall the more efficient design. It’s also much more combat ready and violent. In comparison, Brain’s suit is simply operated with a bunch of levers. It’s alright for peaceful situations like getting around faster or simply blending with a human population, but in a straight up fight the levers take too much time to operate. 

Snowball is more efficient than Brain, and while he’s got the ego, he lacks the insecurities that hold Brain back. His confidence makes him such an effective foe. And more importantly, Snowball doesn’t value Pinky’s companionship. He’s a tool and nothing more. Compare that to Brain. While Brain struggles at showing it, he ultimately wants Pinky’s input and values his jumbo-sized heart. 

Somewhat off topic, but I feel like the reboot missed this aspect of Brain and made him too overly edgy and violent (reboot!Brain would probably prefer Snowball’s mecha design over his counterpart’s). The only time Brain should become violent, if not for comedy, is when he’s protecting Pinky. His plans should have a level of restraint to them, and Pinky is the moral compass.  

I just like this shit-eating grin right here (I mean, he did eat shit in Welcome to the Jungle so...lol)

This is such an insanely clever move for Pinky. I feel like Brain would be like ‘oh my god Pinky!’ and then ‘wow, that’s actually brilliant what the heck is this tingling feeling’. 

ACME LABS IS IN NEW YORK CITY??????

I know this is a case of Where the Hell is Springfield but gdi aren’t they supposed to be in southern California. 

Ok fine I realize the ending to this ep is a reference to North by Northwest cause they somehow got to Mt. Rushmore but still 

Weird tangent but North by Northwest’s ending bothers me (not gonna fault this ep as it’s just a parody)? I’m sorry the girl is barely hanging onto Mt. Rushmore, the dude pulls her up, and then they have sex in a car. The sudden transition always seemed weird to me. 

I am ending this analysis post with a weird shot of Snowball cause i can and it’s his episode. 

[mojave-pete]

Garland Will Make January 6 Investigation His Priority

Facts won’t stop this investigatory and political freight train from running over anyone in its path.

By Julie Kelly

February 22, 2021

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck filled with two tons of explosives parked outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The blast killed 168 people, including 15 children under the age of six at the site’s child care center.

It was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil between Pearl Harbor and 9/11. Everyone old enough still remembers when they first heard the news and saw the first horrific images of firefighters gently carrying out the broken bodies of dead toddlers.

The Oklahoma City bombing bears no comparison to what happened at the Capitol building on January 6. To suggest so not only is an historical false equivalence but a heartless diminution of the suffering and loss McVeigh and his co-conspirators, Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier, inflicted that day—a painful affront to the families left behind.

But during his confirmation hearing Monday, Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, insisted the current political climate is worse than the divisive climate leading up to McVeigh’s mass murder nearly 26 years ago.

“We are facing a more dangerous period than we faced in Oklahoma City,” Garland told Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). “From what I have seen . . . it looks like an extremely aggressive and perfectly appropriate beginning to an investigation all across the country in the same way our regional investigation was but many, many times more.”

He continued. “I can assure you this will be my first priority and my first briefing.”

The Democrats’ Consigliere

Garland, of course, is referring to the ongoing and partisan Justice Department inquisition into the so-called “insurrection” at the Capitol building on January 6. Top officials warn the probe will be one that is “unprecedented in size and scope.” More than 200 people already have been arrested, mostly for misdemeanors, and dozens remain behind bars denied bail; federal prosecutors argue defendants with no criminal record nonetheless pose a risk to the community for the thoughtcrime of doubting the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

If confirmed, Garland will take charge of a law enforcement agency that continues to act as the Democratic Party’s consigliere rather than as a defender of justice for 330 million citizens regardless of political affiliation. Garland now admits he will place another politically motivated investigation above the legitimate public safety concerns of the American public. “This was the most heinous attack on the democratic processes that I’ve ever seen and one that I never expected to see in my lifetime,” Garland dramatically promised Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). (Wait until he hears about Crossfire Hurricane and FISA warrants.)

His comments leave little doubt the Capitol breach probe will continue apace. Michael Sherwin, the acting D.C. U.S. Attorney assigned with overseeing the entire probe (and one of the few U.S. attorneys spared by Biden), pledged to build rare sedition cases against Americans ensnared in the investigation.

“The initial charges we’re filing, these misdemeanors, these are only the beginning, these are not the end,” Sherwin said at a January 12 press conference. “We’re looking at serious felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy.”

A grand jury last week indicted six people tied to Oath Keepers, an alleged far-Right anti-government group, for conspiring to “stop, delay, and hinder Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote.” Three more members face similar charges.

“It Does Require a Lot of Resources”

It’s clear, however, that Garland’s agenda—which just happens to coincide with the agenda of the Biden Administration and Democratic Party even though everyone promises the attorney general will be super independent—reaches beyond the events of January 6.

“Extremist groups, particularly white supremacist groups, do pose a fundamental threat to our democracy and they have posed that threat throughout our history,” Garland told Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) He said he agreed with FBI Director Christopher Wray that white supremacist extremism is the most dangerous threat to the country.

Garland, of course, is far less concerned with threats posed by domestic terrorists not tied to the Right or undemocratic “attacks” on other government buildings. The attempted destruction of the federal courthouse in Portland, Garland explained, was bad but not as bad as what happened at the Capitol because the courthouse was attacked at night when it was closed. Never mind the 140 federal officers injured defending the courthouse.

The FBI, Garland told the committee, is right to add more agents to root out the threat of far-Right extremism. “We also have to look at what’s happening all over the country and where this could spread and where this came from,” he said. “It does require a lot of resources.”

That is highly inflammatory rhetoric from the prospective head of the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world, especially one with a recent history of abusing its authority and breaking the law to pursue political foes. (In one exchange, Garland incorrectly described January 6 as the Capitol “bombing.”)

Further, Democrats do not want the investigation into January 6 to be focused only on those involved in the mêlée. Their end goal, once again, is to capture and convict Donald Trump of criminal wrongdoing.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) prodded Garland about whether the Justice Department would look “upstream” to pursue the alleged “ringleaders” behind the chaos—referring, of course, to President Trump and Garland knew it. “We begin with the people on the ground and work our way up to those . . . who were further involved,” the longtime prosecutor said. “We will pursue these leads wherever they take us.”

Music, no doubt, to the ears of Democratic lawmakers and the current occupant of the Oval Office.

The narrative about what happened on January 6 continues to fall apart, from phony claims about a “murdered” police officer to an “armed” insurrection. But facts won’t stop this investigatory and political freight train from running over anyone in its path, including Americans guilty at most of minor misdemeanors with no prior record now labeled traitors and terrorists. That seems just fine with Merrick Garland.

They are now out to make POTUS Trump and his voters criminals!

[charlotterose218]

Lately ive been writing some short stories to practice with writing different scenarios or describing different senses.

I will paste one of my. Short stories surrounding one of the five senses, taste.

I would appreciate any criticism👍

—————————————-

You know what day it is” my big sister Alice grinned as she sat me down next to a table of assorted sweets.

“Its taste testing day”

“Why do i always have to” i wined. She always forced me to taste whatever she baked every weekend . Is started off as a way of testing whenever she would add a different spice to her pastries, but now she forced me to do it every week.

“Cant you ask mom to do it”

She gasped dramatically “don’t you know its a family tradition for you to taste my food” she pouted and made puppy eyes “unless you don’t like my baking? “

I rolled my eyes and started on first dish in front of me. A large pie topped with white cream. I cut a slice and tasted it .

An explosion of frutity freshness exploded in my mouth.

"Wow thats... frutiy" i laughed "lemon meringue with a hint of lime”

My big sister set down a plate of brownish cookies with a coy smile

" bet you cant guess the flavor of these"

"There obviously chococlate chip" i crunched down and was met with a warm cinomonm and another taste

Pumkin?

"Pumkin cookies?" I hesitated

A smirk spread on her face "close what else"

I closed my eyes and focused on the other flavors hiding in the back.

A mix of allspice, nutmeg and something spicy.

My eyes popped open " Pepper?!”

"Dang it" she muttered, snatching the cookie out of my hand.

“ how’d you know that its a secret ingredient i added myself!”

“You sure you ain’t cheating”

I shrugged “i could taste the spiciness and i mistaken it for pumpkin at first “ i grinned

“I assure you I’m not cheating”

"Whatever you got this one but the next one will get ya for sure"

The last dish was a plate of average looking brownies.

I bit into one as my sister smirked. I tasted a mix of flavors that confused me, a cinnomon taste mixed with mocha, and even a hint of freshness that i couldn’t put my finger on, the flavors swirled on my tongue, each having there own individual uniqueness. “I don’t know what you put in these i cant put my finger on it” my eyes trailed to plate of cookies she had laid out earlier and it hit me.

“ cookie brownies “ i said triumphantly. She gaped at me

“ no way how did you know”

“I could taste some similarity between the cookies i ate last time and the brownies ” i bit into them again, savoring the sweet mocha taste “you also added a bit of lemon flavoring to throw me off”

She slump down in her chair

“Yeah ya got me”

I giggled and finished the last brownie on the plate.

“It was a good try thought you almost stumped me”

She glared at me playfully

“Ill get you next time for sure my pretty” she tickled me and i laughed as we finished the last of the deserts.

[chastiefoul]

sleepy day // katsuki bakugo

Walking from the dorm ahead to the unshaken UA building, your mind wandered off, eyes unbelievably heavy. The fee of staying up all night studying was due; you were exhaustingly sleep-deprived. Slowly but surely, the background chatter you heard clearly turned into one indistinguishable ball of words, an indicator that your body was ready to shut off its system just to get the rest it was desperately begging for.

You stopped your step for a while, gaining a concentration that was running away from you. You brought up a hand to rub your eyes, then blinking them as hard as you can. But to no avail, the weight stayed. A faint yet jarring ‘Oi’ nudged your composure, it sounded familiar. Still, it wasn’t your name, you didn’t have a reason to respond because unlike every other day, you didn’t care. You wanted nothing more than going back to being nosy but with the blaring burden of frazzle, it was the last thing on your priority list that morning.

 Suddenly, a hand gripped your shoulder, without having to look you felt the explosive aura and the aggression it emitted. “hUH, did you just ignore me?!” The intense gaze he always had didn’t bother you as much as it did before. Perhaps it was precisely because he did it every day that it became a normal thing, that Bakugo’s harsh tone hid no ill-mannered intention; though it wasn’t the case all the time. In fact, your short-tempered boyfriend was sometimes soft, all bark and no bite. Of course, that note would only apply if he’s not somewhere in battlefield. Which is where he was at most of the time, unfortunately.

Feeling the lack of need to reply his intensity and mostly his teeth gritting, you kept your eyes at the building you were supposed to go to. “Katsuki, this is bad,” you claimed, still fighting your own eyelids. “Pretty sure it’s just your dumb ass being dramatic as usual,” he said nonchalantly, maybe too much, one would assume, if they didn’t know better. Yet, the subtle concerned side glance he put said the opposite. “I didn’t sleep last night,” you finally faced him, regret crippling across your face screaming for help. Upon hearing that, Katsuki put a blank expression, then kept walking ahead of you, as if had the same regret for even hearing what you had to say. You ran after him with animated tears.

“K-katsuki, help meee!”

“Shut up! Whose fault do you think that is?!”

-

If the usual class was hell, then this time it was like a special room demons had prepared for special kind of people, like the ones who put their milk before their cereal. You couldn’t stop dozing off every few minutes, by the seventh time, you lost the control of your awake state and knocked your head into the table, causing a loud bang against the wood, catching everybody’s attention.

A flare-like blush spread across your face while Kaminari, Sero, and Mineta cry-laughed under their breath mockingly. Aizawa just stared at you, eyes glowing red threateningly, obviously saying if you disturbed the class once more, you will be doing a self-studying at the hall. You nodded vigorously, not wanting to piss off the Pro hero any further. Realizing Bakugo’s gaze at you, you turned to him. His expression unreadable, then he looked away letting out a ‘tch’

Lunch came, Midoriya and Uraraka immediately approached you. ‘”(y/n)! Are you okay?” Midoriya asked, genuinely worried about his friend. “From which? My fight against this table or the life shortening gaze from Mr. Aizawa?” A chill ran down your spine, remembering back the latter event. “From all of.. that.” Uraraka added. You stood up, eyes bloodshot, putting a hand on each side of their shoulder. “Look at my face, then ask that question again.” An intimidating dark purple aura emitted from your back, as if your face wasn’t screaming ‘I look like shit’ enough. “Sorry, we understand.” They stood tall, sweat running all over their faces.

“I didn’t sleep last night,” you stated, after that short comedy scene finished. “It’s just there’s this part of the lecture I didn’t get yesterday, and I would hate ..it if I.. bring.. my ..cluelessness to the next.. day. So ..here.. ..we ar…zzz” Your voice grew inaudible at each word, by the end of the sentence, you were out of it.

Midoriya and Uraraka looked at each other.

Amazing, she fell asleep standing up..

“(y/n)! Let’s go already, damn it!” Bakugo shouted from the door of the classroom, this brought you back to life, realizing it’s lunch time and you had to eat. “Yes, yes, I’m coming. Let’s go, you both.”

When you arrived at the cafeteria, Midoriya and Uraraka parted ways with you, you sat with Bakugo, Kaminari, Sero, Kirishima, and Mina.

“Wha?!” You said, obviously shocked while looking at your food one second after you sat down. Everyone didn’t let it go unnoticed and waited for you to continue to explain what was wrong. Except Bakugo’s expression was clearly tired (of your shi-), it was almost like he said ‘Oh hell what is it this time.’

Still, you continued, “I can almost swear that I ordered a beef bowl, but I think I only said it in my mind…” You said dejectedly to your bowl of ramen. The whole squad stared at you blankly, a common expression you’re getting that day. You waited for even just a single word response, but nothing. They kept eating, ignoring your questionable stupidity.

“C’mon, not even Kaminari?” You shot your most polished pleading look. Eyelashes batted, lips pouting, y'know, things like that.

“Oi, don’t go looking at guys like that.” Bakugo grabbed your cheeks, making you turn to your food instead. “I hate to say this (y/n)-chan, with your eyes red like that, that ‘look’ won’t get you anywhere,” Mina said truthfully, not intending to offend you in the slightest obviously.

“Yeah, while banging your head against the table was very manly, not knowing your limit when doing something wasn’t very much,” Kirishima stated, his sharky tooth formed a smile. “Yes Kirishima, because clearly that’s the purpose she was pursuing for in her life... to be manly.” Kaminari said sarcastically, finding many flaws on Kirishima’s statement. “Kaminari be standing up for (y/n) when he was laughing the loudest back there,” Sero claimed, wearing his usual grin. Kaminari was frantically searching for an excuse until Mina slapped his arm, gesturing towards the said person of the conversation.

No wonder the star of the talk was nowhere to be heard, you had fallen asleep on Bakugo’s shoulder, very soundly if I might add, while the ash-blond haired male only ate quietly. Mina squealed without sound, being the number one supporter of your relationship as she is. While the guys only offered him a knowing smirk.

“Shut up! She was the one clinging into me!” He said a bit softer than his usual tone, maybe not wanting to wake you up, but he will never admit that because well, he’s Bakugo. Hearing his answer his friends stared at him in disbelief.

“What?!” The scowl on his face deepens. “Dude you’re putting an arm over her shoulder,” Kirishima started, “Making you eat with only your left hand,” Sero added, “Which was your non-dominant hand.” Kaminari continued, “Bakugo, break news, you’re whipped.” Mina finished.

Critical hit to the now furious Bakugo. His free hand was starting to form a splatter of explosion, eyes raging. The rest of the table swiftly brought their empty plates and ran, laughing while getting away from him, blatantly not showing any remorse or regret a word they were saying.

Bakugo sighed, resting his eyes on you.

“Idiot, don’t let me be on my own like that. You owed me big fucking time, okay?” he grumbled, a bit too gently for his liking. You did that to him sometimes. You unconsciously let out a soft grunt, snuggling closer.

He smiled at that.

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#130-121)

#130: Franco Battiato and Alice -- I Treni di Tozeur (Italy 1984)

“In una vecchia miniera, distese di sale E un ricordo di me, come un incantesimo”

“In an old empty mine, the salt extends And I seem to remember it, like a dream”

Franco Battiato was one of Italy's greatest songwriters, known for his complex songs in a mix of genres. Unfortunately, I haven't listened to most of his discography, but I do know of "Per Elisa", the song he wrote for Alice which won Sanremo 1981 (coincidentially, the first year Italy withdrew from Eurovision, welp). It's thoughtful and its incorporation of Fur Elise is well-done with its synthesizers.

In comparison, I treni di Tozeur is not a song readily caught by first listening, and that’s why it’s not my favorite of its year. This doesn’t mean it’s not a good song, though—it's sounds eerily futuristic even for the synth-based 1980s, and actually timeless. The lyrics seem ambivalent, but I think there’s some philosophical bent towards them. One of the commentaries talk about the train to Tozeur being built in the early twentieth century to satisfy the whims of the King of Tunisia, at a huge cost. Maybe there's some social commentary sneaking in there.

The performance was good, but it seems like Alice had a bit more control of her voice. She did so with style, and I actually liked her outfit.

In addition, the opera singers at the end were the cherry of the cake. A mix of classical and modern, indeed, which earned itself classic status.

Personal ranking: 2nd/19 Actual ranking: =5th/19 (with Belgium) in Luxembourg

#129: Linda Martin -- Terminal 3 (Ireland 1984)

“Staring into a space, searching through every face He's been away too long now, he must have changed”

I feel like there are two types of people in terms of 1984--those who have Alice and Batiatto (#130) as their favorite, and those who have Linda Martin as theirs. As shown by how close they are on my list, I love both, but Linda Martin just eeks it out.

The storytelling aspect of the song is very strong, as Linda waits for her lover to come from an international flight. Ironically, it can't be from Dublin, as no Irish airport has a third terminal. Maybe it's from London's she's waiting for her love? Or the flight is coming to the United States, rather than from it? Mysteries indeed.

(Now my life goal is to be at Terminal 3 at 10:30; one of David Tao's most famous songs is 飞机场的10:30--Airport at 10:30, which deals with the same topic)

The New Wave instrumentation and orchestration add up to the drama too--the brass grabs me from the first beats, and the strings and rock influences remain as the song goes on. It's kind of hard to believe Johnny Logan was behind this, especially considering he's better known for his ballads. If she had to win one Eurovision, Terminal 3 had to be the one.

Personal ranking: 1st/19 Actual ranking: 2nd/19 in Luxembourg

#128: Halla Margrét - Hægt og hljótt (Iceland 1987)

"Kvöldið hefur flogið alltof fljótt Fyrir utan gluggann komin nótt Kertin er’ að brenna upp Glösin orðin miklu meir’en tóm"

"The evening has fled all too fast Outside the window night has come The candles are burning low The glasses have become much more than empty"

As their debut entry was fun and "in-your"face", Iceland’s second entry has an afterparty feeling, but I've heard some comparisons to being a Christmas song. It doesn't sound like it to me, but it's still really serene and beautiful, as if the snow was falling outside (not unlike #213 on this list).

The lyrics are quite gentle and pretty, painting a dainty picture. However, they also contain enough melancholy to add a tinge of darkness to the scene, which is why I don't think it would work as a Christmas song. Halla’s vocals are very pure, and adds enough delicacy to the composition. The piano and orchestration also helps.

What stands out more is the funny notes related to Hægt og hljótt--one refers to the last line of their chorus, which is bufflaxed to "anus in the air" in English, another mentions how Halla's dress is see-through against the white piano, almost as if she was a ghost. Very strange, especially the latter as the lyrics focuses on the upcoming dawn. Or it would make a good fan-fiction, come to think of it.

Personal ranking: 3rd/22 Actual ranking: 16th/22 in Brussels

#127: Raphael -- Yo soy aquél (Spain 1966)

“Yo soy aquél, Que por tenerte da la vida, Yo soy aquél, Que estando lejos, no te olvida,

“I'm that one, Who gives his life to have you I'm that one Who's far away and doesn't forget you”

When I first did this sorter, Yo soy aquel ended up close to being in my top 50. It was a surprise, because despite being one of my favorite songs from Spain, I didn't think about as much in terms of great songs, even though it's a beautiful song.

The opening bars to this song are filled with drama, which gives way to Raphael’s crooning for the one he loves. The lyrics are a bit repetitive, sure, but they still work in how Raphael wants his love to know he will be there. I particularly love the way the song builds, which, combined with his singing, creates a brooding atmosphere. The explosion in the chorus is really effective, which the orchestra compliments and actually amplifies. You could actually feel his passion thanks to those strings.

1966 was an incredible year (especially for a black-and-white contest), and if I could switch one of Spain's wins, I would drop La La La for this in one second (even though there's another song from this year on my top 250). Massiel doesn't hold a candle to Raphael.

Personal ranking: 2nd/18 Actual ranking: =7th/18 (with Yugoslavia) in Luxembourg

#126: Liam Reilly -- Somewhere in Europe (Ireland 1990)

“We should be together, and maybe we just might If you could only meet me somewhere in Europe tonight”

For my European friends, I wish for this lyric to come true! I am sadly ill-traveled, haha.

When I started to consider this top 250, I thought "Somewhere in Europe" would be song #250, because it was pleasant and pretty, but wouldn't trouble the rest of the list. When I was re-arranging the list, this was one of the songs which got a great boost, and now it sits just outside of the top half of this list!

As for this song, I like it a lot. It not only a pretty little ditty, but it also takes the theme of unity and takes one on an adventure. Because of the piano-based instrumental, I keep thinking that it's like a Billy Joel song, as it's quite homebrewed. While I don’t think this would’ve made a better winner than Insieme (or White and Black Blues, for that matter--France winning would bring some new energy to the contest), Liam Reilly proved he was a talented songwriter, and it shines with the orchestration too.

As a result, I keep thinking that it would be a good New Year's Eve song--it's nostalgic yet calming, and seeks out a better future. Unfortunately, Liam Reilly died on New Year's Day this year, which makes it a bit sadder. RIP.

Personal ranking: 8th/22 Actual ranking: =2nd/22 (with France) in Zagreb

#125: Rita -- Shara Bachravot (Israel 1990)

לבוקר הזה יש טעם של חופש זר כמו של מוות או ברכה כי הלכתי ממך”

“This morning, Has the taste of strange freedom Like of death or a blessing Because I went away from you”

(I actually heard of Rita before stumbling on her Eurovision entry--one song I really like is Idan Raichel's Mechake (Waiting), and I searched the web. One of the results was Rita's version of his composition, which compared to Raichel's, is a bit more produced. Still great!)

1990 focuses on freedom in many ways, especially because of the Berlin Wall falling and the end of communism. Shara Barkhovot also talks about freedom, but does so in another way.

It’s basically a tale of a relationship ending, with a woman leaving her partner in the morning. It’s frequently interpreted as running away from abuse, and the imagery involved does a good job in conveying that feeling.

It’s dramatic and passionate, with Rita “emoting” the song rather than merely performing it. Unfortunately, it does go off the rails later on, with her vocals losing out at points. I still like how she played with the microphone stand, though!

Personal ranking: 7th/22 Actual ranking: 18th/22 in Zagreb

#124: Helena Paparizou -- My Number One (Greece 2005)

“You're my lover Undercover You're my sacred passion and I have no other.”

Helena Paparizou was one of those artists that I knew that participated in Eurovision, but didn’t listen to her song until much later. I found out about her with the song “Heroes”, which I played a lot when I was younger (about 11-13 years old), and didn’t think about her in the contest, other than she won and she received a wide ovation when she returned to Greece.

My Number One is all kinds of fun, from the ethnic instrumental to the sometimes silly lyrics. I also love the performance featuring Helena playing a human lyre, which is a definite highlight! A fun and energetic bop (the last of a holy trinity of ethno-influenced dance winners during this time), now I’m a happy fan of hers (I really listened to Kati Skoteino a lot since 2018, for example. Plus her Mambo interval the following year is fantastic.)

On whether this or "Die For You" was the better song, it's hard to tell, especially on how close they are on this list. Whereas 2001 was the weaker year and Die for You had to win it, My Number One was in a stronger year and held its own. And yet it's not my favorite...

Personal ranking: 2nd/39 Actual ranking: 1st/24 GF in Kyiv

#123: Vanilla Ninja -- Cool Vibes (Switzerland 2005)

“Don't want you to come so close to me Don't need you to blow my fantasy But I know that you are livin' far beyond those lies I can see the danger rise in your eyes...”

From my last place in 2004 to my favorite in 2005, what a glow up from Switzerland! Though to be honest, I have a hard time determining why this song in particular is my favorite of its year. I did come in knowing that Switzerland was the only one of the original seven to not win in my timeline, so that may have impacted my thinking.

Cool Vibes a dark rock song, with occasionally dramatic lyrics (though then again, emo rock was getting popular during that time), but an intriguing musical atmosphere. Despite 2005 being known as the "ethno-bop year", there were a number of interesting rock songs (e.g. In My Dreams), and this holds up by its sheer seriousness, versus the occasionally silly vibe of those others.

And with that string motif, it does sound like a song that needs an orchestra to realize its full potential. There's a lot of hidden angst throughout the song, and the multiple key changes actually helps here.

Personal ranking: 1st/39 Actual ranking: 8th/24 GF in Kyiv

Final Impressions on Switzerland: Not one of my favorite countries in the contest, unfortunately. I find most of their entries to be quite non-descript, with some of them being very bad. That said, they do have a number of gems on here, and some great ones that just missed out (Moi, tout simplement; Io senza te; She Got Me especially). And with the track they are now, they could actually win in the next few years. Hopefully with a French-language song. :)

#122: Tanja Ribič - Zbudi se (Slovenia 1997)

“Zbudi se, dobri princ Rada bi ti dala vse Svoje sanje in mladost Da ne bom iz pravljice”

“Wake up, good prince I would like to give you all My dreams and my youth Break the spell of the fairy tale”

Sometimes I forget I love this song. As 1997 is one of the strongest years (if not the strongest year song-wise), there are so many good ones one can't remember all of them. Zbudi se a bit dark and fits in very well with the rest of the 1990s with its mythical character (and might be the first Balkan ballad proper), but Tanja does it so well. And she would later be more known for her acting!

When I do listen to it, it just takes me away. It’s a dark fairytale, with beautiful lyrics and an intriguing atmosphere. The narrator longs for her loved one, filled with magical imagery and dreaminess. I also appreciate the transition between the lyrics and the chorus, which can be very hard to do! And of course, the orchestration, including the harp parts in particular, create a fantastic soundscape.

Personal ranking: 8th/25 Actual ranking: 10th/25 in Dublin

#121: Lúcia Moniz - O meu coração não tem cor (Portugal 1996)

“Dança-se o samba, a marrabenta também, Chora-se o fado, rola-se a coladeira.”

“We dance the samba, the marrabenta too, We weep the fado, and roll the coladeira”

Curiously, for a song which was one twelve away from a top-three finish, O meu coração não tem cor seems a bit less known within Portugal. It even didn't get a studio release, and Lucia is better known for being the love interest in Love Actually. And yet it's still a fan-favorite within Eurovision.

The lyrics call out to everyone in the Portuguese diaspora (or the Lusosphere in general), and welcomes them to engage in their cultural traditions. We have fruit and dance and crying and laughter all at once. All kinds of fun, except when the clips grayscale and I keep thinking of those "in memoriam" scenes.

And it managed impress in another way; it came in 18th in the audio-only pre-qualifer which only appeared in 1996. Thanks to the brazen and fun orchestration, along with Lucia's very sweet voice, it was lifted up in the final to a solid sixth place! Very well-deserved.

Personal ranking: 5th/23 Actual ranking: 6th/23 in Oslo

[honourablejester]

Ideas for Dragons (D&D)

Or rather, thoughts on characters-who-are-dragons-in-(sort of)-disguise. Assuming that all ancient dragons have the ‘change shape’ option, metallic or otherwise, because it’s more fun that way. Sprinkle secret dragons everywhere! Why not? Also, bit lenient on the alignment here.

White

Keywords:  feral, primal, vengeful, with long memories

Thoughts:  Whites in disguise will be independent forces in the world. The wilderness dragons. They’ll have personal goals and points of pride. They’ll be your lone ranger seeking vengeance against a hated enemy. Your fearsome druid seeking to drive out invaders from their pristine wildernesses. Or, perhaps, your barbarians, warrior kings and queens, carving out their own territories. Quite likely to only nominally be ‘in disguise’, unless they’re really trying not to draw attention to their weakness/enemy. The pirate/whaler queen based in an iceberg shanty town, the proud spear-fisher challenging strangers to beat her, the capable outlander in a western. Heh.

Gold

Keywords:  aloof, grim, reserved, dedicated foes of evil

Thoughts:  Weirdly, I’m kind of liking gold dragons for rogues? Spies and spymasters. ‘Rarely does a gold dragon in disguise reveal its true form’. What I’m getting here is that golds in disguise are professional about it. They go undercover to hunt out evil. I know golds are usually seen as paladin material, and they definitely work as weary knights, but I’m liking the lawful rogue here. Add in aloof, grim, and you’ve a lovely set up for the stoic spymaster sending people to live and die in tyrannical empires and evil cults, or the grim spy going in themselves. Golds are the dragons you meet when you’re chained in a dungeon, or the one you’re taken to meet when you escape.

Green

Keywords:  cunning, manipulative, ambitious, intelligent

Thoughts: I’m guessing it’s the association with envy that makes green always the cunning ambitious colour, but hey, we’ll work with it. Greens in disguise are your wizards, your courtiers, your merchant princes, your ‘legitimate businessmen’. Your Petyr Baelishes. Anyone in a position to pull strings and topple dominos and thrive on chaos. La Voisin. The courtesan, the poisoner, the palace physician. Also, greens feel like they’d have multiple disguises on the go at once. What people think are four separate NPCs are actually one, and she’s gently wheeling five or six factions into her grasp, for good or for ill. Honestly, greens are great.

Copper

Keywords: cautious, tricksy, miserly, hospitable

Thoughts:  Couple of directions coppers can go, depending on whether this is a whim or if they have an enemy. They’ll either be the once-off, amusing-to-aggravating encounter, enough to tweak some noses and teach some lessons, in which case they’ll be much louder and more cheerful about things, OR they’ll be in much deeper cover and likely covering a long game with humour and a more subtle disguise. Bards and rogues. They can play spies as well as greens and golds. But I like the hospitality as a defining feature. A copper undercover as the most dangerous gang lord you ever saw will still have impeccable manners. (Coppers are basically fey)

Blue

Keywords:  dramatic, patient, methodical, vain

Thoughts:  Aristocrats to the core. Blues strike me as basically vampires? Lestat de Lioncourt. Patient, fond of the high life, dramatic as a thunderstorm when riled. When you look at a blue, you know there’s something off, something predatory, but not exactly what. Blues will be regal, noble, well-connected. Smart about alliances. Like whites, they’ll have a list of people who’ve ticked them off, and they’ll take their time returning the favour, but unlike whites blues will be indirect about it. Ambush predators, and dramatic ones. They’ll set up something truly notable. Patient and dramatic. The worst sort of enemies. But excellent friends if pointed at mutual foes.

Silver

Keywords: friendly, benign, fond of history, prone to attachment

Thoughts:  Innkeepers. Back alley healers (the ‘helping the poor for free’ kind, not the ‘shady as hell’ kind, though you never know). The uncle or auntie in the village that everyone knows and no one is entirely sure of the age of. The lovely, nice, friendly old lady who would never hurt a fly but wicked people who come to the village tend to walk away rather thoughtful after sitting down to tea. Or, you know, don’t walk away at all. The librarians, teachers, bakers, healers. The most normal-seeming, right in the thick of it, but often slightly forgetful when it comes to how long their ‘disguises’ are supposed to be able to stay alive. Ah. Oops?

Black

Keywords: paranoid, brutal, survivalist, ‘do unto others before they do unto you’

Thoughts:  Guerrilla warlords. We’re back out in the wilderness. Run and hide and strike where your enemies are weakest. Disguise yourself to find out where they’re weakest, who is your enemy now and who will be your enemy later. Rebels and outlaws. I like the link to crumbled civilisations. If you want a more ambiguous black, you can have them championing a dead kingdom against a foreign invader (for given values of ‘foreign’ depending on how many centuries on this is). Blacks are your outlanders, unwilling to accept any dominion but their own, hardened and vicious when maintaining their independence, paranoid about where the strike will come. Blacks are hard-edged, the allies you really need to work to keep good, the enemies you need to hit hard and hit now.

Bronze

Keywords: daring, warlike, nautical, rebels in search of a cause

Thoughts:  Well. Rebels, to start with. Again. Consulting heroes. Les Amis from Les Miserables. Odysseus. Though bronzes can be patient and like to be fully sure who’s done what and when and why before they start swinging, they really don’t hesitate from that point. So, like whites, often they’ll only nominally be ‘disguised’. They’ll be bold and daring and in-your-face, unless they’re actively on a mission that needs secrecy. I feel like they tend to use whatever form is most useful for the moment, and don’t tend as much towards long-term covers. They’re good students of history, though, and effective at what they do. If a bronze is well-established, they’ll be a respected leader.

Red

Keywords:  proud, territorial, explosive, obsessive

Thoughts:  Reds are very … wizardy. Classic tower wizards, I mean. Isolated, explosive, unhappy about conversing with inferiors. Etc. But they’re also curious. They don’t want to be left behind, or become obsolete. So they’ll disguise themselves as something well-respected, important, unlikely to be challenged. Nobles, yes, but also academics, emissaries, foreign dignitaries. Historians. Treaty-makers. Archmages. Reds want to be the linch-pins, the fulcrums around which the world turns. They can be very valuable if you manoeuvre them into the right places, but don’t put them anywhere you wouldn’t be comfortable putting sweaty nitroglycerine. They will go boom eventually.

Brass

Keywords: curious, gregarious, conversationalist, craving stimulation

Thoughts: Merchants. Straight away. Peddlers, merchants, coffee house proprietors. Innkeepers, too. Anywhere that’s gossip central. Anywhere that sees objects and curiosities from around the world. Certain stripes of academics as well. Brasses won’t be spies like greens or golds, even coppers or blacks, they won’t be collecting things for a cause, but they might sell information afterwards for their own amusement. Collecting whatever’s shiny, passing it on to whoever’s interested. Might play cheerful games of one-upmanship with other information brokers. Assets to everyone, but beholden to no one. Reactive if tricked or feel like they’ve been used badly, though. Brasses make good neutral, independent, ambiguous contractors.

Just … throw in lots of dragons. Dragons are always a fun surprise! Ancient, wily serpents steering the world or local events in varying directions. Have a world where anyone you meet could be a dragon! Dignified nobles, fearsome rebels, motherly innkeepers, travelling merchants, tired functionaries, annoying children, proud survivalists, touchy emissaries, old soldiers, cunning brothel keepers, the gossipy old biddy on the corner …

What is life without the idea that just about any of them could suddenly sprout wings and breath weapons and a lot of teeth very suddenly in your face? Heh.

[writerwhofears]

Hey! When I write I usually wind up making it more dark than intended. How do I add comic relief and/or know when to add it?

As someone who consistently finds their writing darker than intended (or even imagined), I understand the struggle of finding a way to lighten up the mood a little bit. 

When it comes to comedic relief, here are a few ways to incorporate it in your writing:

The comedic relief character or moment:

- A serious character makes a sarcastic comment that is taken literally

 “Yes, you should definitely jump off the bridge.”

 “Well, if you say so–”

 “The hell? No–stop!”

- A literal comment is taken as sarcastic/joking

 “If you hit that button, the entire room will explode”

*rolls eyes* “You mean this button?”

- Characters who blurt out whatever they are thinking 

Could be a curse word coming from a character who never curses

 Blurting out something embarrassing

Word vomit

- Have a character get their words mixed up 

Think of sound-alike words: they say “Cherry” instead of “Ferry” or something. 

 Calling a rifle a “boom stick” or something: this can happen if your character speaks a different language, or is from a different place, or fumbles with their words a lot

- Insert an inappropriate response that makes the reader giggle 

Someone proposes, and a character starts choking on their wine 

The villain threatens to kill them, and the hero holds up a hand and yawns

 Speeding away from a bank robbery when a character pokes their head from the back seat and announces, “Wait, we’re missing Tony!”

 Anything to create that, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” moment

- Introduce a blunt character to a sensitive topic or person

“Your face is blazing red.”

*Clamping hands on face* “W-what? Oh, sorry, I just…” 

“Did you confess your love to him?”

*Eyes opening wide, going even redder*

*Enter romantic interest, having heard everything* “Sorry, what?”

- Likewise, have a sensitive character navigate around a blunt topic

“Listen. When someone asks you how they look… you can’t just say they look like a bloated toad.”

*looking confused* “So I’m expected to lie?”

*Swallowing hard* “You’re, uh… no, not lie exactly… just be nicer?”

- Create a massive misunderstanding between characters

 “I thought you said you were pregnant!”

 “I wasn’t talking about me!

- When a character is oblivious to the obvious

“So… explain to me again just what happened.”

*pulling hair out of head* “Did you not just see the explosion?!”

“So that’s what that was!”

 - The unexpected comment from the smart aleck character 

I always think of El Dorado when Tulio and Miguel are adrift at sea with no supplies and no land in sight:

“Tulio, did you ever imagine it would end like this?”

“The horse is a surprise.”

Utilize humourous language:

This can be in the form of:

Puns

Funny Words

 An unexpected metaphor or simile 

Misused Idioms

 Click here for more ideas!

 Oh, and here.

Make the situation funny:

You know how this one goes… 

When to use comedy:

To release the tension in your writing

If you want to lighten up your writing (if you personally feel like its too dark, depressing, gory, or some of your readers feel it necessary)

To remind readers that there is a light at the end of the tunnel

To give the reader some relief 

When comedy hurts: Click here

If you’re writing about a serious/heavy topic (illness, injury, abuse, rape, assault, life flashing before the eyes, etc.), inserting comedy can take away from the gravity/seriousness  of the situation

Comedy can undermine the credibility of a character, making them appear less threatening. If you want a villain who gives nightmares, leave the comedy out

Comedy can also make your character look like a jerk. If you have someone in the hospital, and you want your character to come across as kind and considerate, you don’t want the first thing comes out of the character’s mouth to be some horrible, brash joke. You’ll want to match the dialogue with the tone.

 If your reader cares about a character, humiliating them won’t make the character laugh. It will make them cry.

 “If you have a genuinely serious or emotional scene, don’t make that scene into a joke–treat it with the gravity it deserves”

Comedy during a sincere high stakes/dramatic scene will take away from the moment. Readers will not like the interruption, especially if emotionally invested. 

See the above link for more ideas!

 And this link as well: Tips for Writing Dark Stories, Settings, Characters

I also want to put out there that darkness is not bad! Sometimes darkness makes a novel or writing snippet more powerful. Sometimes the heaviness needs to be felt. 

Hope this helps, and thank you for the ask!

[pinkandgreenarepurpleandyellow]

My Personal Theory on TGWDLM, Black Friday, and Nerdy Prudes Must Die

Disclaimer: atm i can't put in screenshots for evidence (ill see if i can add them on later). Also, I know other people have lots of theories, but i have not seen any (haven’t searched for them either) so I'm sorry if this seems similar to anyone else. Note: At the time of writing this post NPMD has not been released (it is current March 22, 2020, mid Covid-19 quarantine), so i apologize if i get anything wrong, i’m basing all of this on the hypothetical i’ve constructed w/the first two.

My theory for how they are connected:

The three universes are actually all partially true, but none of them are the real universe. They’re divergences.

The real universe has this:

- Some kind of apocalypse

- Bloodthirsty cult who are all linked together in some level of thought

- PEIP unit

- General John McNamara

- Paul and Emma

Going theory on real universe: In the real universe, there is a sudden apocalypse brought on by people’s madness regarding something, and the PEIP unit is sent in only to find out it’s a horrifying something. With the unit’s efforts and the something’s weakness, there’s a massive reality-affecting explosion. Reality splits into parts, the 3 potential variations.

Every explosion has an epicenter, the thing that’s least affected. Things closer to the edge are less accurate, while things closer to the center are more on point. 

John McNamara, along with the something, is the epicenter. He stays the exact same in all three universes because he’s at the center. And because he’s the center, he affects the realities around him. Their inaccuracies are based on his impression of reality.

McNamara sees himself as a soldier loyal to a purpose greater than any manmade institution. He will be that soldier in any reality, self-sacrificing, brave, and trying to help. His impressions of other things are less accurate.

Basis of the universes:

Paul and Emma, along with various people, escape. They tell McNamara what they think happened. Paul runs into him first, then Emma at a later point. McNamara hears their stories, but details are muddled, little things forgotten. And these details affect the story massively.

Basis of the villain creatures:

The antagonist is always based off of something McNamara hates. Conformity for TGWDLM. Capitalist obsessions for Black Friday. Societal pressure regarding sex for NPMD. All of these he hates because they are man-made constructs oppressing people.

If he’s the hero of his story, these are the villains.

Basis for the other people involved:

TGWDLM is most likely the most accurate portrayal of Paul and Emma. These are probably the most “realistic” versions of them. That story is probably the most accurate to the people in it. That’s not to say the creature is an alien, just that these are characters from that story.

But McNamara messes up little details. And they shift all of reality.

He doesn’t know what Charlotte does for a living, just that she has an abusvie husband. What if she couldn’t get away? What if she could? Wouldn’t it be nice if she could get away, even if it was with murder?

He knows there’s a father trying to do good for his kid but having problems. So maybe teenage lesbian Alice is nine year-old Ethan, and maybe divorced dad is really a widower.

He knows there’s a creepy coworker who Paul hates. Maybe he’s a creep. Or maybe he's secretly with the evil thing.

So they change to fit the parts.

AND his pictures of Emma and Paul are skewed.

He sees Paul as a nervous, flighty person. Emma as a nihilist, rude, fed up with unfair crap gal. Maybe they tell him the truth and really Paul is good and Emma is tired. Or maybe they’re lying and Paul’s a dick and Emma would steal from her job given any opportunity.

So McNamara’s doubt in their stories leads to even the things he knows well changing in the other realities. Black Friday is the worst version of them he believes possible.

Emma’s bitchy barista boss or Lex’s capitalism-obsessed manager?

Dead older sister or “Dumb” little sister holding her back?

Nervous guy or dickhead?

Absent-minded boss turned converter or Demented maniac turned prophetess?

Paul being mostly okay but working with sleazy people, or Paul being a guy who is one of the sleazy people?

Emma being tired and wanting out but being held back by memories, or Emma wanting out and staying only to not kill her sister?

TGWDLM: Based mostly off of their direct testimonies. Paul remembers everyone being crazy and lots of commercial music playing. Emma remembers people she thought she could trust going insane and making her freak out. This is what they think is happening, and in part it is.

Reality: Probably a society like the US would not die without some kind of music (probably commercials (see Cup of Roasted Coffee)) playing everywhere. Mass cults and crazies always want people to convert, and are more than okay with killing people who oppose. They’re probably some level of hive-mind.

Black Friday: Based on McNamara’s worst assumptions of them. Paul is nervous and neurotic, freakign out and asking “okay okay” like it’s the worlds most critical question. Emma is willing to be a bitch, willing to steal. Paul is irrelevant to the big true story. Emma’s mentor, whom she trusts, betrays her in this or that way.

Reality: Not unlikely that a leader figure forms some way or another. Sacrifices tend to be useful, and when push comes to shove, both Paul and Emma could end up like this. 

Current prediction for NPMD:

- Evil color:

In tgwdlm, the color is blue. Blue tends to be a digital color when it’s evil. The assimilated appear to be like computers, all sharing the exact same data for everything, capable of communicating what one knows to everyone else (see: Paul singing ‘Show Stopping Number’ and teen trio knowing who Paul is ). Everyone is assimilated into equals. No power structure amongst the assimilated.

In black friday, the color is green. Green is a life color, a color for evil stepping in.  The cult has all basic ideas, but no mutual sharing of thought and have to talk out loud to transfer ideas (see: no one noticing the ponies negation, the fact that they talk out loud and all say different things with no synchronicity, as opposed to tgwdlm). The assimilated have established rank of authority, like a family. Lesser, the children, and the prophetess, the mother.

NPMD will probably be red. Glowing, neon red. Red is a color for lust (see: Prudes) and violence (must die). Probably the assimilated will have no central leader or control. Full anarchy ensues. No form of mass communication. A central idea of either sex or violence or both implanted in people, but no further attempts at leadership or structure. Some level of teams will inevitably occur, but they will be individual pieces rather than being ordered by the inhuman thing.

- McNamara’s death:

tgwdlm, death in battle, details unknown. Converted.

black friday, death in black and white, gradual dissolving from lack of suit. Resistant till the end.

NPMD prediction: dead in battle, details seen. No conversion. No survival. Torn apart onstage.

- Paul and Emma:

tgwdlm, main characters, dead by conversion, only survivals of disaster.

black friday, side pieces, dead by nuke, part of gathering of survivors

NPMD prediction: smaller story arc, dead by emma killing paul when she is turned, ambush survivors.

- Misc:

Coffee guy and homeless dude will show up. So will the collectibles geek. McNamara will definitely say: “I'm authorizing you to use my firearm”.  Someone does the “smoking weed” moves. Someone says “wear a watch”. Paul mentions his iPhone. At least one dramatic scene will be all blood red lighting. 

[look-ma-im-on-tv]

Logan's Secret

This is for @stop-it-anxiety 's fall fanfic constest! So, of course, I did some Logince bweh heh and I think it turned out pretty good!

The prompt is Logan's Secret! And this is my official entry too!

Tw: Uh... Not a lot? There's kissing (twice) Remus, food, Deceit, Deceit and Remus aren't strongly sympathetic or unsympathetic. If I missed any, please let me know!

Ships: Logince! Yay!

Word Count: 3,541

"Falsehood!"

"You make ONE mistake--"

"...is an idea that I love POSSIBLY EVEN MORE!"

The small, criticizing voice in the back of Logan's head told him, these are the outbursts we internalize.

For years now, Logan was known to be Logic and nothing more. He was the embodiment of information, with no emotions at all. Or, that's what he wished he was. But despite how much Logan denied it or wished it wasn't true, he did feel emotions. A lot. And he could never let the other sides know. He had to keep this secret to himself. They'd never be able to trust him with a decision again if they knew. Even now he wasn't taken seriously. It would only get worse if people knew he felt complicated, illogical emotions. Especially… 

No. Logan refused to admit that secret, even to himself.

"Logan?" Someone asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was Roman, the creative side. The two of them were sat on the floor of Roman's room, papers with ideas and schedules scattered everywhere. They were planning one of Thomas' videos again. Logan had always thought that Roman's ideas were outrageous. Dragon fighting, a house behind a waterfall, none of it ever made sense to him. However, Logan accepted the prince anyways. Probably even because of it. Roman's ability to drift away from reality and bring Logan with him made things seem easier. It was quite  comforting in its own way.

"Hey Specs, you there? Earth to Logan!" He had forgotten to reply to the prince.

"Hm, yes. I apologize. I appear to have been hyper focused on my own thoughts for a moment there."

"You mean you were daydreaming?"

"No, of course not! What is it you want anyways?"

"Ah--Nothing, Specs. I suppose I was just… worried. Forget about it all, okay?" Roman's face turned a worrying shade of red.

"Are you feverish? Do you feel ill, Roman?" Logan started to lift his hand to check Roman's temperature, but stopped himself out of embarrassment.

"Uh--No, no. I'm fine, Lo, don't worry about it."

"Good." Logan held back a relieved smile, hopefully continuing his blank expression. "Now, let us return to planning the next video, shall we?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Roman smiled, looking hard at the floor so Logan wouldn't see. Roman really enjoyed working with the logical side. He was insightful, yet not harsh. He looked up at Logan, blushing when he saw him push up his glasses with that look in his eyes. That look that could capture an entire galaxy. There was so much curiosity, so much passion behind those lenses. When he looked into Logan's eyes, it was like seeing a glimpse of the real him. He knew there had to be more to him than he let on. That look told him. That part of him was what Roman liked--no, loved--about Logan. 

But if he were to ever express his admiration, he'd be shut down so fast his head would spin. No matter how much he wanted him to feel, to care, he simply never would. Even when he did have that look in his eyes, well, Roman was known for imagining things. He never had a chance with Logan. And since he wouldn't and couldn't handle that rejection, he kept his feelings to himself.

"Roman? You are staring at me." Roman instantly turned bright red and returned his attention back to the floor. How embarrassing.

Roman could've sworn he heard a chuckle in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Logan clasped a hand over his own mouth. Had Roman noticed that? He must have. Logan fiddled with his hands and refused to look at the prince. That was too close. This is one of those outbursts we internalize. 

Logan slowly and nervously looked up, nearly jumping back when he saw Roman's face only a few inches from his own. This close, Logan could see freckles dusted lightly on his cheeks. His features were lit up with a bright curious expression. There was something mysteriously handsome about Roman. Logan suddenly noticed the smile pulling at the corners of his mouth and the red flush in his face. He quickly forced away the smile and turned away to hide his blushing. 

"Was that… You, Lo? Did you laugh just now?" Roman sounded like he was holding back a chuckle himself. 

Oh no. Logan thought. He noticed.

Logan moved back quickly and nearly lost his balance, his face even redder now. He was stumbling over his reply. "N--no! That would be… Preposterous! You know me, I don't do things like laugh."

"You also don't do things like struggle with your words, or blush, or smile." Roman quieted and abandoned his mocking tone. "Lo… you do know you can talk to me, right? You don't have to be perfect, cold, logic all the time. You don't have to hide anything…" He was acting uncharacteristically shy.

"Quiet! I am not keeping anything!" Logan snapped. Roman looked startled, then… Sad. Logan regretted yelling immediately. 

"Roma--Ro…" Roman smiled a little at the nickname.

"Look Lo, it's perfectly fine if I'm wrong here, or if you would prefer not to tell me. But I believe you really do feel things more than you like to let on!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Oh I desperately hope I'm right here.

Roman was worried that he had only made things worse. He should've kept quiet, but he was terrible at keeping his thoughts to himself. He has never seen Logan so nervous and fidgety, he was frantically adjusting his tie.

"I'm sorry, Lo. I didn't mean to--"

"No. No, it's fine. I suppose it isn't good for me to not tell you. The truth is… You are right. I do feel emotions, Roman." He said it as if he was confessing to a crime. "However, I do not want to."

"Why not? This is great!"

"No it is not!" Logan stood up and started pacing around the room. "No one will ever take me seriously. I can't even make proper decisions like this! Feelings and emotions are completely ridiculous. I am Logic! This goes against everything possible!"

"Logan, calm down. You should sit." He sat back down in a huff. "Logan, emotions aren't ridiculous whatsoever. They might not always make sense, but they help make you more… Complete." Suddenly, Roman lit up. "And one of the best things in the universe is when you are so incredibly passionate or happy that you feel as if you are about to explode!" Roman did a dramatic explosion motion with his hands and fell backwards laughing. He got back up at the sound of a chuckle and a gasp. Logan looked startled at himself. 

"It's okay to laugh, Specs." Roman comforted him.

Logan's shocked expression shifted into the smallest warm smile. 

From then on, Roman was nothing but cheery and accepting when Logan was around. He did what he could when they were alone to make him laugh. He just wanted Logan to have a better viewpoint on emotions. The two would watch Disney movies together, color pictures, listen to music, make jokes, any positive, fun things that Roman thought he might enjoy. They got along very well, and Logan always left Roman's room with a smile on his face, even when they had spent the day venting or even crying. 

This first time Logan cried was because he still felt broken for having emotions. It was so different to Roman, seeing him like that. Of course, he had tried to not cry, but that only made it worse. He got to the point of sobbing before Roman calmed him down.

"I am so flawed! How is it possible for me to be like this? I am supposed to be the one keeping things in check and in order. How could I let something like this get through? No logical decision has any emotions behind it and yet… I'm like this! You guys could never trust me again…" Logan had yelled through his tears, furiously trying to wipe them from his face. His shoulders shook with the sobs and he was bent over with his face in his hands. 

Roman had placed a comforting arm around his back, causing Logan to look up, his face tear-streaked and red. It was a devastating sight to Roman. He hated seeing him like this, so hurt. It made the prince want to cry himself.

"What… Are you doing Roman?"

"Comforting you. It's okay Logan. It's okay to have emotions. You are amazing, exactly as you are. You are not flawed, or broken, or defective. You are strong, and good, and so incredibly smart that even I cannot begin to comprehend it. And I would trust you with my life. I believe almost all of us would."

"You believe so?"

"Of course I do, Lo. Just because you have emotions doesn't mean you can't make the right decision. I mean, you have had these emotions the whole time, right? You just didn't let us know?" Logan nodded. "See? And you still make great decisions, you are still great. You admitting this doesn't change a thing." Roman smiled at him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Roman was the best at making Logan feel better. He always seemed to know the right things to say, and of course there was that smile. His smile was incredibly contagious, and everything about him made Logan happy. He loved spending time with the prince, and while he didn't much care for what they did together, he still enjoyed himself. Roman was a bit of an enigma to him, puzzling him with every facial expression he made and every word he said. But he didn't mind that. It just made Logan want to be around him even more. 

Tonight was the weekly dinner. Each week, all of the sides, including Deceit and Remus, had dinner together and talked about what happened during the week. This was the first dinner since Logan had confessed his secret to Roman, so he was expecting the worst. He didn't want anyone other than Roman to know yet. He could easily see the others mocking him, even if they didn't mean any harm by it all. He sat down in his place anxiously. Patton brought plate after plate of food to the table and everyone else took their seats.

"What a magnificent job, Patton! The food looks wonderful!" Roman cried out cheerily.

"Yes, I agree. Good job, Patton." Logan added stiffly. If he kept the conversation focused on someone else, his secret might just survive the night.

"Well, thanks kiddos! I did my best!" Patton smiled brightly, which made Logan relax significantly. 

They all got their food, with the exception of Remus, who had brought his own 'food,' which consisted of bricks with nail polish dressing, wood chips, and of course, a stick of deodorant for dessert. While the sides never got or needed any nutritional value from their food, they liked eating every now and then for the taste of it. Logan figured that they all just let Remus have his own taste.

For a moment they ate their food with little chatter, none of which was thankfully targeted at Logan. He knew that wouldn't last too long.

"So! Roman, Logan, how's this week's video planning going?" Patton asked.

Virgil was curious too, "It seemed pretty tense for a minute there. You guys know I can tell when you're well," he gestured to himself, "anxious, right? So what happened?"

Logan tried to reply, but whatever lie he might have been able to come up with just got caught in his throat anyways, so he let Roman answer.

"Ah--well, for a moment we just… Couldn't find a good topic! That's all, no need to worry. We figured it out so it's fine."

You are absolutely horrid at lying, Roman. Yet, Logan appreciated Roman's efforts anyways. It was clear he cared about Logan, and about keeping his secret safe. Logan knew this was going bad though when Deceit smiled mischievously. He could always spot a lie.

"What a wonderful explanation, Roman. That doesn't sound like a lie at all," he hissed out. Not menacingly, he didn't want to start something or anything, but he knew Roman was lying and was calling him out on it.

Patton looked hurt and shocked. "Are you… Lying to us Roman?"

"What? No! I would never do anything like that!"

Remus jumped in on the action, sneering "Ooh, is that a smelly little lie I hear?"

Logan noticed Virgil staring at him and suddenly became acutely aware of the worry visible in his expression. He forced his features to relax, quickly adding to the conversation, "I don't understand why any of you would not believe Roman. His explanation is logical and accurate." Logan realized how rushed he sounded, a sign of nervousness. 

Virgil looked confused. "You're… Scared? Both of you?" Of course he could tell.

"Of course not, you--you idiot!" Roman yelled, quieting the whole table. It had been a long time since Roman had said something like that to Virgil. Everyone knew that something was wrong.

Patton leaned forward, concerned. "You guys… What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wro--" 

"Enough, Roman. It's fine." 

"What?" Roman protested.

"I can simply tell them. It's too late to continue attempting to keep any sort of secret." He sighed, hearing the defeat in his own voice. Logan appreciated what Roman was doing, but he couldn't let this get any worse. He especially didn't want Roman looking like the bad guy. He had helped him so much, it was only fair for Logan to return the favor. Even if it meant the secret they had worked to keep had to be revealed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Roman was shocked. Was Logan going to tell them? He turned to him, worried about the logical side. He had such a defeated look on his face, his head drooping down sadly. Roman put a comforting hand on his arm, realizing that this had to be done, but still helping Logan as much as he could. "Are you sure about this, Lo?"

Logan sighed and said, "Yes." He turned to face everyone, and Roman could tell that he really didn't want to do this. Yet, even so, the way he presented himself made Roman feel light and proud. Logan didn't bother with looking shy, instead he sat tall and looked as  he was giving the most important speech in his life. He looked almost confident, strong, despite being in a vulnerable position.

"I suppose the cause for any worry is the fact that I've recently admitted that… That I am flawed. I actually do feel emotions."

Roman couldn't let him explain it like that. "You're not flawed! You're great how you are!"

Patton smiled, and almost laughed. "Well of course you feel, silly! You're not flawed!"

Logan's brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side slightly. Roman thought it was adorable. "You are wrong. I am Logic, therefore I should not feel emotions and this is an error to some degree." 

"None of us are just one thing, kiddo. And we can all feel and be like each other! And really, thanks for telling us. It shows you trust us."

Roman saw Logan freeze.

~~~~~~~~~~

Logan was not expecting that reaction at all. However… Patton was right. 

Everyone was smiling and reassuring Logan, telling him that he was great and valid just the way he was. And for the first time, he smiled in front of everyone. It was one of the best days Logan ever had. He was so scared, but now he didn't understand what for. They finished their dinners and discussions and everyone but Roman and Logan sank back down to their rooms. 

"Roman? I… Wanted to show my appreciation for today. To say… Thank you. Thank you very much."

"What? Logan, you were incredible today! I'm so proud of you, you were able to tell everyone! You defeated your own dragon witch!"

Logan smiled, something he had started to really enjoy doing. "I could not have done so without you being there. It's because of you that I was able to have any amount of confidence."

"Well… You are very welcome then. Have a good night, Lo. Sleep well."

Logan felt his cheeks flush red, matching Roman's. "You too, Ro."

Over the next few days, Logan still detested the fact that he felt emotions, but the other sides helped a lot, especially Roman. When he was with Roman, he felt comfortable enough to laugh and smile. It was freeing and nice. But most of the time, his emotions still made him feel… Broken.

"Roman?"

"Yeah, Specs?"

"Do you suppose that you could explain to be again why me having emotions is not bad? It is my hope that the reinforcement will assist me to feel less… defective. "

"Defective?"

"Yes."

"Lo, you're not defective. You're not a robot. You're you. And I'll--we'll-- always be there for you, emotions and all. And I enjoy being around the you with emotions, the real you. It's great."

Logan looked down, smiling. He was happy that Roman liked him with feelings. Logan looked up at the prince, who was already looking at him. Roman always looked so genuine, so excited and caring. And he was handsome too. 

He had full lips with smile lines around them, and sparkling hazel eyes. Everything about him was so real, yet so attractive. The way his hair fell over his forehead, how his smiles always reached his eyes… Roman was simply gorgeous to Logan, inside and out. He was always so caring towards him. He helped him every day, just by being himself. Logan always felt safe and happy around him, his outlandish ideas and cheery pastimes one of the things Logan looked forward to most. Roman really was like a prince, and Logan couldn't seem to understand why… Why he wanted to stay like this, looking into each other's eyes, forever.

~~~~~~~~~~

Roman only wanted Logan to be happy. And it seemed like he was. His deep brown eyes were sparkling, and he had a smile that could light up the entire world. He was so smart, and kind, and caring, even when he didn't want to show it. And lately, after admitting his emotions, he was somehow even better to be around. His laugh was better than any songbird's song, his smile brighter than the sun, and his company better than anyone else's. 

Roman knew that what he was about to do was stupid. He wasn't oblivious after all. A million thoughts ran through his head, but only one stuck with him:

I love you.

Because he really did, and now, with his heart racing and head spinning, he knew that this was his only chance. Roman held a hand up to Logan's cheek, desperately trying not to shake too much, and kissed him.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a gentle kiss, caring and reserved. Still, Logan was shocked, his eyes wide in surprise. He had no clue that Roman would ever do that. And yet, for some reason, Logan had never felt so happy.

Upon seeing Logan's shocked expression, Roman immediately pulled away, apologizing profusely.

"Oh no, what have I done? Logan--I--I am so sorry. I shouldn't have done that, I mean, you just told me that you feel anything at all and I go and do something stupid like that. God, I'm sorry Lo…"

Logan understood now. "Roman, it's perfectly alright."

"I know, I'm sorry, it was stupi--wait, what? Are you not mad?"

"That would be a negative. That wasn't stupid and… I'm not mad. Quite the opposite actually…"

"What? Why?"

Logan sighed, saying under his breath, "Because I believe I feel the same way you do."

Logan went against anything that Logic had ever told him, and listened to his emotions instead. He brought his hand up to Roman's chin and gently pulled him closer. Logan finally thought of the perfect words to describe the prince. Roman shined like a star. He had a wonderful, perfect glow about him that Logan felt addicted to. With a freeing feeling, Logan finally admitted his true secret. To himself, and to this star of a person, he said,

"I have one last secret, Roman… I love you."

And he kissed him with purpose and meaning, despite having no clue how. Roman seemed shocked for only a moment before sinking into the kiss and wrapping his arms around Logan's neck. They smiled into each other's lips, enjoying finally being able to be together. 

Logan felt everything at once. He felt a little mad that Roman never told him, sad that he didn't tell him himself. But over all of that, he felt happy. He felt love. He cared about Roman, every part of him. And he knew that Roman felt the same.

They pulled apart and moved to sit against Roman's bed. Logan slowly lowered his head until it rested on Roman's shoulder, and looked up at the prince to make sure it was okay. After confirmation from Roman, and after pushing his own thoughts away, Logan melted into him. Roman conjured stars that basked them in a soft glow and said, 

"I love you too, Lo."

And they stayed like that until both of them happily fell asleep in each other's arms.

[thetaxcollector2020veronlin-blog]

Cuevana The Tax Collector 2020 Pelicula Completa Latino HD

HAGA CLICK AQUI : https://bit.ly/33Lw9UB

HAGA CLICK AQUI : https://bit.ly/33Lw9UB

HAGA CLICK AQUI : https://bit.ly/33Lw9UB

HAGA CLICK AQUI : https://bit.ly/33Lw9UB

Production companies: Fast Horse Pictures, Kodiak Pictures, Cedar Park Entertainment Distributor: RLJE Films (select theaters, VOD, digital) Cast: Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, George Lopez, Shia LaBeouf, Elpidia Carrillo, Lana Parrilla, David Castañeda, Conejo, Cheyenne Rae Hernandez, Cle Sloan, Noemi Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Cantu, Chelsea Rendon, Rene Moran Director-screenwriter: David Ayer Producers: Chris Long, David Ayer, Tyler Thompson, Matt Antoun Executive producers: Douglas Duncan, Buddy Patrick, Steve Matzkin, Misook Doolittle, Sarah Schroeder-Matzkin, Mickey Gooch, Jr., Doug McKay, Cindy Bond, Todd Williams Director of photography: Salvatore Totino Production designer: Andrew Menzies Costume designer: Kelli Jones Music: Michael Yezerski Editor: Geoffrey O'Brien Casting: Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham-Ahanonu

SINOPSIS No se sabe nada acerca del argumento de esta cinta de acción y crímen que, aparentemente, seguirá la línea de dos de los trabajos anteriores de David Ayer: Training Day y Sin Tregua (End of Watch).

La cinta está dirigida, pues, por David Ayer (Escuadrón Suicida, Bright) y protagonizada por Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy, The Peanut Butter Falcon), Bobby Soto (For the People, S.W.A.T. Los hombres de Harrelson), Chelsea Randon (Nueve vidas, Urgencias), Cinthya Carmona (The Fix, Greenhouse Academy) y Lana Parrilla (Érase una vez, Chase).

'The Tax Collector': Film Review Violent Los Angeles street culture on both sides of the law has been an abiding fascination in David Ayer's output, notably in his bruising screenplay for Training Day and his nervy, documentary-style cop drama, End of Watch. The buddy dynamic and gritty milieu of that 2012 film invigorate the best elements of The Tax Collector, the writer-director's return to a smaller-scale project after taking a critical hammering with the big-budget, high-concept outings of Suicide Squad and Netflix's Bright. "So why another L.A. crime movie?" asks Ayer in his Director's Statement. Why, indeed.

Despite a lot of admirable aims, such as creating layered roles for the Latino acting community and spending production dollars in areas that could benefit from the economic boost, this grim bloodbath feels too routine to be of much interest.

The well-acted film is shot by Salvatore Totino with impressive dexterity, capturing the urban sprawl of L.A. with a sharp eye and deft ability to build textured atmosphere, and Geoffrey O'Brien's editing shows an equally propulsive hand. But almost everything about this mean-streets action thriller feels familiar and a touch self-important, starting with its heralding of the sacred code blasted over a portrait of protagonist David (Bobby Soto) with his beautiful wife and angelic kids: "Love. Honor. Loyalty. Family."

The vaunted authenticity legitimized by Ayer's upbringing in South L.A. in the 1970s and '80s in this case doesn't mean he has a fresh perspective. The conflict of a loyal lieutenant in a criminal organization who compartmentalizes his life into hard-core career thug on one side, devoted paterfamilias on the other — "God allows me to walk from the darkness and come back into the light," says David — by now seems a standard gangster trope. As soon as that's established, we know exactly where he's going to feel the pain.

While Soto (Narcos: Mexico) makes a reasonably charismatic lead, the more magnetic character is his sidekick, a twitchy killing machine known as Creeper (Shia LaBeouf, reuniting with Ayer after Fury). Encased in figure-hugging skinny suits, Mafia-grade sunglasses and just the right amount of bling, LaBeouf goes full Method with his flavorful dialogue and wired physicality, whether Creeper is extolling the virtues of his smelly protein diet, musing on the value of morning meditation and the meaninglessness of God in his universe or simply itching to stop talking and spill some blood. The actor builds a fully formed character that suggests an intriguing backstory, giving off sparks in his every scene.

Regrettably, that's not so much the case with the more generically drawn David and his wife Alexis (Cinthya Carmona), who is perceived as being safely outside the family's criminal operations but has enough of a stake in the business to know what's what. She certainly has no qualms about calling on David to put the fear of death into the "Mexican Kardashians" holding up work on their daughter's quinceañera dress, and she oversees the weekly tally of protection money collected by David and Creeper from 43 different L.A. street gangs.

Alexis is also the point person who communicates directly with Wizard, the overlord of the crime organization whose current situation (along with the unbilled famous name playing the role) is revealed in the film's closing scene.

'Tax Collector' Trailer Reteams Shia LaBeouf and David Ayer David's connection to Wizard becomes apparent only gradually, once an old rival of the crime boss returns from Mexico intent on reshaping the street-gang landscape according to his own rules. That hostile interloper, Conejo (borrowing the rapper name of Jose Martin, who plays the role with maximum menace), takes pleasure in reminding David how he's still a glorified errand boy instead of a fully-fledged made man.

Conejo first extends a hand offering David an executive role in his burgeoning empire. When that offer is declined, Conejo sends a brutal message via David's drug dealer Uncle Louis (comedian George Lopez, bringing understated snarl to a dramatic role). "I'm the future and you're the past," Conejo warns David, later adding, "Everything you love is gonna die."

While David prays to Jesus to keep his family and their palatial Spanish-style home safe, Conejo's religious rituals make Santeria look like Sunday school. The movie veers into grotesquerie as he prays at an unholy altar for protection in the oncoming turf war, bathing in the blood of a human sacrifice in a room that looks like Keith Haring threw a Dia de los Muertos party.

This might have been lurid fun from a director who didn't take it all so seriously, even if it's in questionable taste at a time when the White House administration has done everything in its power to demonize Latin American immigrants. There's little leeway for dark humor in Ayer's world, though I did get a kick out of Conejo's lady friend Gata (Cheyenne Rae Hernandez). Licking her lips lasciviously, the aptly named feline fiend can lob explosives and rain bullets from a semi-automatic all while skipping about on vertiginous heels. And you don't even want to know about her skills with a hammer. But Gata is a figure out of a Robert Rodriguez grindhouse world stuck in a fundamentally realist realm.

The inevitable faceoff between Conejo's goons and Wizard's is plenty bloody, intercut with Conejo's Satanic prayers. But the sequence feels almost perfunctory, yielding few surprises for a director with the sinewy action command Ayer has shown in the past. Pretty much everything that follows becomes both predictable and a little too easy as David musters all his force to protect what's most precious to him, calling on help from the leader of a Bloods gang (Cle Sloan) in his showdown with Conejo.

Earlier scenes have sketched in David's strategic ability to accrue loyalty as well as the humanity he shows when one gang rep's payment shortfall is explained by the medical expenses of his chronically ill daughter. But Ayer seems to be laboring under the misapprehension that the family-oriented gangster is something new in movies, along with the conflicted cycle of intergenerational violence. When blood-drenched David starts spouting hackneyed dialogue like "For my family, I live. For my family, I die. For my family, I kill," it's hard to stifle a groan. And the incorporation of the Zen aspects of Jiu Jitsu into his climactic fight is too flimsy to add anything.

Ayer drives the action along efficiently enough to the churning dread of Michael Yezerski's score. But there's too little depth to make you care about the characters and too little imagination at work to make The Tax Collector pay.

Production companies: Fast Horse Pictures, Kodiak Pictures, Cedar Park Entertainment Distributor: RLJE Films (select theaters, VOD, digital) Cast: Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, George Lopez, Shia LaBeouf, Elpidia Carrillo, Lana Parrilla, David Castañeda, Conejo, Cheyenne Rae Hernandez, Cle Sloan, Noemi Gonzalez, Juan Carlos Cantu, Chelsea Rendon, Rene Moran Director-screenwriter: David Ayer Producers: Chris Long, David Ayer, Tyler Thompson, Matt Antoun Executive producers: Douglas Duncan, Buddy Patrick, Steve Matzkin, Misook Doolittle, Sarah Schroeder-Matzkin, Mickey Gooch, Jr., Doug McKay, Cindy Bond, Todd Williams Director of photography: Salvatore Totino Production designer: Andrew Menzies Costume designer: Kelli Jones Music: Michael Yezerski Editor: Geoffrey O'Brien Casting: Mary Vernieu, Lindsay Graham-Ahanonu

Tag/Keyword : The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español The Tax Collector pelicula completa online The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino The Tax Collector pelicula completa repelis The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino online The Tax Collector pelicula completa online gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa argentina The Tax Collector pelicula completa audio latino The Tax Collector pelicula completa argentina online The Tax Collector pelicula completa allcalidad The Tax Collector pelicula argentina completa gratis The Tax Collector pelicula argentina completa descargar The Tax Collector pelicula argentina online The Tax Collector pelicula argentina online gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino pelisplus The Tax Collector pelicula completa cuevana bajar The Tax Collector pelicula completa buster The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino The Tax Collector pelicula bajar The Tax Collector banco rio pelicula completa The Tax Collector pelicula completa cinetux The Tax Collector pelicula completa cinepolis The Tax Collector pelicula completa cinecalidad The Tax Collector pelicula completa online cuevana The Tax Collector ver pelicula online cuevana ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa online cuevana ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa online cuevana 2 The Tax Collector pelicula completa descargar The Tax Collector pelicula completa descargar mega The Tax Collector pelicula completa descargar utorrent The Tax Collector pelicula completa download The Tax Collector pelicula completa duracion The Tax Collector pelicula completa drive The Tax Collector pelicula completa descargar hd The Tax Collector pelicula completa descarga gratis pelicula completa de The Tax Collector The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino online gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino cuevana The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino francella The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino descargar The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español jason statham The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino youtube The Tax Collector pelicula completa facebook The Tax Collector pelicula completa francella The Tax Collector pelicula completa filtrada The Tax Collector pelicula completa full hd The Tax Collector pelicula completa free The Tax Collector pelicula francella online The Tax Collector pelicula online gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa gnula The Tax Collector pelicula completa gratis online The Tax Collector pelicula completa google drive The Tax Collector pelicula completa gratis cuevana The Tax Collector pelicula online gratis sin registrarse The Tax Collector pelicula completa online gratis repelis The Tax Collector pelicula completa hd The Tax Collector pelicula completa hd online The Tax Collector pelicula completa hd descargar ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa hd The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español hd The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino hd ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa online hd The Tax Collector pelicula hoyts The Tax Collector pelicula imdb The Tax Collector pelicula en ingles imdb The Tax Collector imdb robo del siglo The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino jason statham The Tax Collector pelicula completa latino The Tax Collector pelicula completa locopelis The Tax Collector pelicula online latino The Tax Collector pelicula completa español latino The Tax Collector pelicula completa on line The Tax Collector pelicula completa 1 link The Tax Collector la película completa The Tax Collector pelicula completa ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa mega The Tax Collector pelicula completa miradetodo The Tax Collector pelicula completa medium The Tax Collector pelicula musica The Tax Collector pelicula mexico The Tax Collector pelicula multiplex The Tax Collector pelicula puerto madero The Tax Collector pelicula completa netflix el gran robo del siglo pelicula completa en español The Tax Collector pelicula completa online repelis The Tax Collector pelicula completa online gratis gnula The Tax Collector pelicula completa online hd The Tax Collector pelicula completa online ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa online pelisplus The Tax Collector pelicula completa pelisplus The Tax Collector pelicula completa pelispedia The Tax Collector pelicula completa pelis24 The Tax Collector pelicula completa para descargar The Tax Collector pelicula completa pirata The Tax Collector pelicula completa para descargar gratis The Tax Collector pelicula completa sin registrarse ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa repelis The Tax Collector pelicula completa online sin registrarse The Tax Collector pelicula completa online gratis sin registrarse ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa online sin registrarse The Tax Collector pelicula sinopsis The Tax Collector pelicula showcase The Tax Collector pelicula completa taringa The Tax Collector pelicula trailer The Tax Collector pelicula taquilla The Tax Collector pelicula ficha tecnica The Tax Collector pelicula completa ver online The Tax Collector pelicula completa ver online gratis The Tax Collector pelicula online ver The Tax Collector pelicula ver online gratis ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa en español latino gratis The Tax Collector pelicula wikipedia The Tax Collector pelicula winograd The Tax Collector pelicula completa youtube The Tax Collector pelicula youtube youtube The Tax Collector pelicula completa The Tax Collector pelicula completa 2020 The Tax Collector pelicula completa online 2020 The Tax Collector pelicula 2020 online The Tax Collector 2020 pelicula completa en español latino The Tax Collector pelicula 2018 The Tax Collector pelicula 2019 The Tax Collector 2020 pelicula completa online gratis ver The Tax Collector pelicula completa online cuevana 3

FOLLOW ME: https://twitter.com/i/events/1290345090586570752 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282720635433570304 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282725079688699905 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282730140934389760 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282735229539516416 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282741964899639296 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282747395277643777 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282751560145965057 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282755329734795264 https://twitter.com/i/events/1283088198537637889 https://twitter.com/i/events/1283094659124744192 https://twitter.com/i/events/1283098881304129537 https://twitter.com/i/events/1283103310824665089 https://twitter.com/i/events/1283106614250139648 https://twitter.com/i/events/1283809636055834625 https://twitter.com/i/events/1284140162100822017 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285595864723906567 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285598651188801542 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285603308946612224 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285604852253421568 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285606606403547136 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285609017897709568 https://twitter.com/i/events/1285641940910829568 https://twitter.com/i/events/1287795599002046464 https://twitter.com/i/events/1290171389794594816 https://twitter.com/i/events/1290174748756865024 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276204549498265600 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276208376821673984 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276211325266345989 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276215445909987328 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276218944563511296 https://twitter.com/i/events/1268050822295740416 https://twitter.com/i/events/1268056570945929216 https://twitter.com/i/events/1273286199516393473 https://twitter.com/i/events/1273287631342731264 https://twitter.com/i/events/1273289054377750529 https://twitter.com/i/events/1273290497285472256 https://twitter.com/i/events/1273292007926976512 https://twitter.com/i/events/1273292935476346880 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276231881936130049 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276235986993741824 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276749126684696576 https://twitter.com/i/events/1276753696928395265 https://twitter.com/i/events/1280198485657088000 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281264441888141312 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281268668593143809 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281273656589479937 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281276839604805634 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281281245289177088 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281286535376072706 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281289536983625728 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281997375200833536 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281997824771518469 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281998998123868162 https://twitter.com/i/events/1281999864209879040 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282000305282928641 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282007613253677056 https://twitter.com/i/events/1282012289810366465

[beckytailweaver]

Avatar: The Last Airbender (fic stuff)

Since I’m trying to work on something (ANYTHING!) and I seem to be in an Avatar mood of late, I’ll throw this up here.

These are fics, potential fics, and mostly-concrete ideas that have existed in the back of my closet for a very long time, since the good old days of watching ATLA when it was shiny and new and cool. Most of them are also so old that LOK didn’t exist yet or was in its infancy.

Note: These are mostly gen fic. If pairings come up they are not the central goal of the piece; they will be mainly canon as it existed at the time the fic was outlined. Treat them like the scenery (no ship war drama allowed in my workroom, that’s what stopped me participating in the fandom years ago).

I’d kinda like to put some feelers out and see what folks think would be most interesting to work on.

Read on:

The End of the Circle Post-canon continuation, my oldest ATLA fic, conceived and outlined before comics or LOK existed. Does some headcanon worldbuilding based on what was available at the time of the original series. Dragons and spirits and legends coming to life, oh my!

Status: outlined, some scenes written, firm endpoint, world built.

Summary: Roku warned Aang that he could not die in the Avatar State, or the cycle would end. Azula’s lightning killed Aang in the Avatar State. To their good fortune, Katara’s spirit water was able to bring Aang back to life, but there are Consequences—for the Avatar and for the world.

Wild Fire Canon AU/semi-rewrite. Also born before LOK was a thing so Druk doesn’t exist. It borrows some concepts from the idea of Toph and her badgermole family. It breaks some TLA canon around the edges but it’s all in good fun.

Status: outlined, many scenes, ending fully plotted.

Summary: The young Fire Prince was burned and disowned by the Fire Lord, cast away and abandoned on the hostile shores of the Earth Kingdom before his kindly uncle could aid him. Disfigured, angry, and lost, young Zuko finds solace in the wilderness when he is taken in by a most unusual protector: A dragon.

Phoenix Legacy Not-a-time-travel “time travel” fic. It was born after seeing Season 1 of Avatar LOK and...kinda liking it but not? (I mostly lost interest in LOK after S1.) And wanting to add some more classic feel to the season. No information from subsequent seasons was used to outline it (thus there is no Druk) but recently I have gone back and “fixed” Zuko’s daughter (giving her the correct name and appearance), and added her nameless daughter (Iroh II’s sister) for lulz. Basically a rewrite of LOK Season 1 with a TLA character along for the ride to shake everything up, because at the time I was disappointed that there was only Katara and no other Gaang members out there kicking the new Avatar into shape.

Status: outlined, a few scenes written, ending plotted; not to be a rehash.

Summary: A phoenix cannot die by fire—it can only be reborn. When Ozai claimed the title of Phoenix King, he had no idea what sort of spirit he might be invoking. When he lost his ancestor’s war and his crown, the spirit’s blessings were unknowingly conferred upon his heir: The hapless Fire Lord Zuko, determined to bring his nation to peace. Seventy years later, there’s a tragic explosion in a tea shop in Republic City, and exiled traitor Fire Prince Zuko wakes up to an unfamiliar world full of unfamiliar faces. The last thing he remembers is an Agni Kai under a Comet, catching lightning to protect a friend.

The Prince’s Prisoner Another ficling born before the comics or LOK were really a big deal and/or I didn’t know about them. Basically during TLA S1, rather than fleeing Prince Zuko’s clutches, Aang decides to remain his prisoner. The original reasoning for this was a kind of modified Peggy Sue: Aang effed up his final battle with Ozai for reasons, his soul is sorta sent back in time to do-over from his iceberg wakeup. The problem is that this is not a perfect process and he doesn’t actually remember everything, only some very important faces, feelings, and concepts. The idea of Zuko as a dear friend/teacher/trusted person is one of these things. Thus, in defiance of all visible logic, Aang trusts S1!Zuko with his life and keeps his promise to go with him. In spite of his Water Tribe friends continuously trying to rescue him, Zhao continuously trying to capture him, and Zuko himself continuously trying to avoid being befriended by his ticket home. (”I’m your prisoner, not anyone else’s.”)  Intended to be a funny and heartwarming friendship/journey story taking a different angle at the series.

Status: tentatively outlined with very few scenes skeleton’d out, season 1 definite, endpoint undecided but can continue throughout the series. The premise mechanic is a bit flimsy; it’s less concrete since it’s supposed to be fluff, angst, and friendship.

dragon!Zuko AU fic Everybody has to write one of these, it’s like a law. Here’s mine: Ozai’s cruelty during the Agni Kai with his young son invoked the wrath of Agni, bringing down a magic from a time before memory and no one knows if it’s a blessing or a curse. When Zuko’s face burned, the fire didn’t stop there, and when the flames went out a young dragon was left on the floor of the arena. Uncle Iroh came to his rescue before the rest of Court could gather their wits, and then had to get him on a boat and out of the Fire Nation before Ozai could decide whether to make him into a pet or a trophy. Part 1: Rather than going on a mission to hunt the Avatar, Zuko and Iroh are on a road trip to keep Zuko alive and secret from the world (Ozai wants to usurp his brother’s title of Dragon). Iroh and his crew end up raising this stubborn angsty dragon prince; since he can’t turn back into a human he has to come to terms with being a dragon most of the time (which can’t talk), and he can often be Very Dramatic about it. Part 2: Years later, there’s rumors of the Avatar’s return and Zuko (who has sort of learned to take a human shape again) sees an opportunity to spare his own life and go home by offering his father a bigger prize than a dragon’s head...

Status: very general outline, some scenes conceived and a general plot/endpoint. Part 1 is in the 3 years pre-canon, Part 2 is during canon, including the grumpy dragon hiding out in Ba Sing Se.

Years Gone/Avatar kids AU S1/pre-canon rewrite. Some whim of fate cracks open Aang’s iceberg three years early (a storm, a passing boat, pure chance?) and he tumbles out into the world in the same year that Prince Zuko was banished. Despite befriending some Water Tribe children who would love to go adventuring with him, he’s got to get home to the Southern Air Temple and that’s where he runs into young, angry, raw-wounded Prince Zuko on his first visit. The tiny chase ensues up and down the entire temple. Aang will of course be friendly but escape. And this begins a probably-ill-advised adventure with a lot of kids who are entirely too young to be camping across the world on a bison (but it’s exciting!), chased by another kid entirely too young to be leading a manhunt. The Comet is three years away so there’s plenty of time for adults to tear their hair out over this. Zuko is a tiny ball of determination, rage, and tears. Aang feels bad for him and tries to make with the befriending even as he’s dodging the fire tantrums. Occasionally during adventures Zuko just gets scooped along for the ride in Appa’s saddle, no one’s sure how these weird truces get called, but Iroh sips tea and directs the crew on a new heading and they’ll pick up their prince at the bison’s next stopover most likely after the kid pendulums back the other way and remembers he’s trying to nab the Avatar again. So Zuko spends 50% of the time yelling and chasing the Avatar and 50% of the time sitting in Appa’s saddle learning tentative smiles and being offered berries and seal jerky, all the way from the South Pole to the North. (It’s slightly terrifying to realize that Aang and Zuko are currently the oldest kids in the party and are actually in charge of this terribly irresponsible expedition.)

Status: general outline, a couple of scenes written, particular S1 plot points, no endpoint yet. Possible bonus content: Toph and/or Suki come along for the ride because why not.

The Blacksmith of Ba Sing Se This is a very old Lu Ten Lives! story. Lu Ten always knew Uncle Ozai envied him, but secure in his position he didn’t really care about it until he took an arrow in the back during the final battle of the Siege of Ba Sing Se. With unknown assassins among his own ranks and no safe place to retreat in the melee, the wounded prince decides to fake his own death by hiding in the rubble, and then swapping clothes with a slain Earth Kingdom soldier half crushed in the ruin. At first, it’s only to get to safety until he can get to the bottom of this. But Lu Ten is picked up by the EK medic teams after the surprising withdrawal of the Fire Nation troops, and ends up spirited away into the heart of Ba Sing Se—where he discovers that it’s hard to escape. He also discovers a whole new world, and a whole new perspective, and, keeping out of the authorities’ notice, eventually manages to make a life for himself as Chang the Blacksmith, a humble craftsman with a wife and kids. This...is much nicer than war, death, and Court politics. Years later: refugee Zuko walking home from his job at Pao Family Tea Shop runs across a little boy crying over his broken toy in the dusty street...

Status: nebulous outline with a few particular sketched scenes. Takes place mostly in Ba Sing Se, outcome indeterminate. It could be mixed with the Lineages concept from below.

Lineages / not Ozai’s kid AU Not really a concrete plot so much as a campy idea from long before the Avatar comics blundered through Ursa’s backstory. There was a phase in the fandom (I think the Search comics drew off of that) where it was popular to imagine almost anyone else than Ozai as Zuko’s Secret Real Dad (the boy deserves a better father) and Iroh was often selected as primary candidate. (I know, Iroh is already the real dad and stepped into Ozai’s cold empty shoes like a pro.) Me, deciding that I had to be different, decided to offer up Lu Ten on that altar. Justifications: Iroh and Ozai looked to have a pretty extreme age difference and there was no solid age for Lu Ten at the time of his death, but his picture looks mature enough. Deals with family secrets and the political issues of muddying the lines of inheritance in the middle of a war. Also takes a crack at Ursa having a clever hand with Azulon’s last will and testament on Ozai’s behalf, with provisos.

Status: nothing really more than a vague concept without enough plot to stand on its own. Without a viable framework, it could work better/well folded into The Blacksmith story, above.

I’m open to opinions and/or asks about these. Trying to get a spark going! (I need to be working in a fandom, ANY fandom at this point! ^_^;; )