#it’s a little barebones at the moment I admit

[fishtrouts]

Link to shop

A lot of love, time and effort went into this shop. And I will continue to add items there, so feel free to give me suggestions! Also, meet my representation of well, myself! It's a dragon based on a trout. So a trout dragon. If you catch this thing in a river that's me please release me 🥺

[bed-of-ashes]

Spring we need the gem and pearl soulmate meetinggggg it’s literally gempearl week! Or like literally any more updates on the nature lives au im a tad bit obsessed :D

IT'S GEMPEARL WEEK?? omg I have to get this out. Voilà gempearl being soulmates :D it's a little different from the other soulmate meetings but they're special like that. Thank you so much for the ask I'm so so glad you like the au!! You have no idea how excited this made me lol. I hope this works please please don't hesitate to request anything else :D

Pearl’s heart was out of her hands long before they began the game of soulmates.

She could have guessed who her soulmate would be the moment the universe rolled the dice. It wasn’t a question, more like an answer, a definite you are tied to this person that would confirm what Pearl already knew. She loved like she breathed, constantly and needily, and she did not need fate to tell her that.

When she took very little damage throughout the first day, she knew why. When the thud of a shield being hit reverberated through her body, she knew what was happening. When her chest felt light and her face tugged into a smile while she was mining alone, she knew who was offering bright grins to the world like she knew the back of her hand.

She and her soulmate were adventurous people, the both of them touring their walled-off world before starting to settle down. It was only a matter of time before they ran into each other and recognized their unified hearts.

Gem met her with a smile straight from heaven and a tight hug to match. “I was hoping we’d be soulmates!” she said, and even she looked surprised at the admission. Pearl gave her a shoulder bump and didn’t tell her that she knew, she knew they were paired from the first moment.

Pearl tried not to let her gaze wander to Gem’s barely contained curls bobbing in front of her sun-accented face. Her eyes slipped every now and then—she couldn’t help it, not when Gem’s cheeks were dusted pink for no apparent reason. The color suited her, and Pearl couldn’t help but wish she was the one making her that shade.

They were carving out a mine near their barebones base when Gem stopped swinging her pic and turned to watch Pearl. She continued mining a section of stone for a moment, self-conscious, before she gave up and faced Gem with a raised eyebrow. “You’re staring,” she noted. “What’s wrong?”

Gem glanced at the ground, chewing her lip. She met Pearl’s eyes again. “Pearl, can I ask you a question?”

“You’re starting to worry me, but shoot.” The back of her neck started to itch.

“You have to be honest.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Gem sighed, scuffing her feet on the cobble. “Do you– do you like me, Pearl?”

Pearl noticed suddenly how deeply Gem was blushing. Her face was tinted crimson, the darkest Pearl had ever seen on her. Pearl’s heart stuttered, and Gem smiled weakly. This wasn’t a fair question. It was still the question she had expected.

She didn’t answer right away. “Why do you ask?” she whispered. Her voice came out far quieter than she intended.

“I can feel your heartbeat, y’know. It–” Gem glanced away, as if admitting a secret that wasn’t hers to keep– “it speeds up when you’re looking at me. Which, I am so sorry if I misread it, I just thought I should clear the air, and–”

Pearl reached out and touched her arm softly. Gem fell silent, staring at her, pleading. Pearl took a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

If possible, Gem turned even redder. A nervous smile bubbled up to her face as she rocked back on her heels. “Actually?”

Pearl laughed quietly. “I told you I wouldn’t lie.”

She was certain that if Gem was keeping track of her beating heart, she would’ve felt its drumbeat pattern in accelerando. As it was, neither of them commented on it, the both of them darting looks between each other and the ground, unsure how to proceed. They had matching grins and matching souls, and in that moment, it didn’t matter that they were in a death game. This was the only second that would count.

[galactiquest]

Unexpected Waltz

Fandom: Trigun Pairing: Millions Knives x Reader Other Characters: None Notes: So ummm... Hi!!! I’ve been quiet on this blog for a while because I’ve been hemming and hawing about whether I want to keep participating in this community with others (I haven’t had a whole lot of good experiences tbh) but... I decided to whip up a little Knives x Reader for old time’s sake. Please enjoy! Also, this song inspired the title and general feel. Word count: 921

Warnings: None, just some dancing and a semi-established relationship. And maybe very slightly out of character Knives but this is my house and I get to decide how Knives talks.

[Also crossposted to AO3!]

“I see no point to the task of dancing.”

Millions Knives, the Plant who was forever unconvinced that there was any substance to be taken from extraneous activities and pastimes of humans. And you, the human who loved him and desperately wanted him to do something nice with you.

You knew there’d be a rift between your worlds the moment you met him, regardless of whether that led to a relationship or not. Knives was just so convinced that he was different that he couldn’t fathom partaking in any sort of human activity.

Which, at first, you didn’t really mind–you wouldn’t push him, and he wouldn’t push you. Most of the time.But today, you really wanted to dance with him. Everything felt right, but he stayed stiff as a board on the other side of the room, arms crossed as crackly music came from the record player.

“Come on,” you huffed, mirroring his pout. “Just one little dance won’t kill you, you know.”

“Waste of energy,” Knives added. “Waste of time. All of it, a waste.”

“You said the same thing about kissing and hugging and cuddling at night.”

“And I’m still right,” he snided. “But it’s beneficial to you. That kind of contact releases oxycontin, a critical chemical for your wellbeing.”

“And you don’t feel even a little nice when we do it?”

Knives closed his eyes and refused to answer.

“Well. Dancing feels good, for one. It’s nice to move your body in a rhythmic fashion.” You spun around a little. “Humans have developed a multitude of dancing styles, both for music and without music. Some dances are sacred and used to tell stories, while others are just for fun.”

“...So it’s important.” He was looking away, but had a slight quirk to his lip that could imply a smile–the I’m-not-interested-but-since-it’s-with-you-and-I-like-you smile.

“To me, at least.” You held out a hand. “Will you at least try it? Just once?”

Something he’d heard a lot. When you urged him to take a bite of your cooking, or to draw on some scrap paper, or read a book that wasn’t another tome full of boring nonsense. And every time, he’d groan and lament about how you were expecting too much out of his greatness, how he shouldn’t bother with these things–but he’d still do them, so who was the real winner?

Both of you, actually. He just refused to admit that he’d both lost and won.

After a moment of hesitation, he approached, putting his hand in yours. Ever so gently.

That was the one far cry of the Knives that stayed in your house and laid in your bed from the one that used to be in the elements of the desert–he was gentle in most everything he did, despite his cruelty before, despite the harshness in his words. Maybe he knew that you were human and mortal, and you could only handle a mere fraction of his power before snapping. Maybe he really didn’t want you to break, because he finally found someone who could hear him.

Maybe he didn’t want to be alone.

You placed his hand on your shoulder, reaching the matching one on your side to his hip (his shoulder was far too high to hold comfortably) and interlacing fingers on the other side.

“I’ll lead us, okay?” You were alright with dancing–not an expert, but not completely clueless, either. A simple step would be fine.

“...Alright.” Knives usually hated relinquishing control, but he had extremely barebones dancing skills, if any at all, and didn’t want to step on your toes. Literally or figuratively.

Slowly, you moved your feet to the beat of the music, letting Knives follow in your footsteps. He was able to pick up the rhythm easily, though he was primarily just copying what you were doing. You took him around the room, spinning gently, watching his unmoving expression as he stared at you. There was a slight gleam in his eye–the gleam of I-like-you-but-I’m-trying-not-to-show-it.

As the music continued, you pulled away from him slightly, twirling yourself around his arm. He seemed a bit confused, but your smile was enough for him to allow this to happen. There was a certain warmth in his chest that came from his hand on your shoulder, your hand on his waist, and the other hands intertwined to the side. It felt nice, as much as he loathed to admit it. Knives almost wanted the music to last forever, but it was coming to an end.

“I’m gonna dip you!” You said, bracing your hand behind his waist.

Knives sort of knew this move. He wanted to make some kind of remark, one along the lines of you won’t be able to hold me up, but his body reacted before he made up his mind. He fell backwards, letting you keep him close with one arm. You still strained against his weight–how can one man be so dense, you wondered–but were able to hold the move for a few seconds until the needle bumped itself off the record, music stopping.

Knives stood up, partially taking you with him as you slid off of him.

“Well? What did you think?” You asked, grinning up at him.

Knives huffed out of his nose, then replied. “It… Wasn’t that bad. But don’t expect me to do it again.”

The tiniest smile formed on his face as he turned away. I want to do it again so badly! Please dance with me again!

You knew him too well by now.

[pinkberrytea]

30 Questions for Your Tav!

From this post!

Your Tav as a Companion

1. What would your Tav’s greetings be (at different levels of approval)?

Negative

“Hm… hm…” “Hm, yes?” “Er…”

Neutral

“Oh, hello.” “Hm? Oh, I’m sorry, did you need something?” “Yes? How can I help?”

Medium

“Oh, you’re here!” “Oh! Is there anything I can do for you?” “Hey, you!”

Flirting

“Hm? Oh! Oh… h-hi!” “You’re here! I-I mean, what can I do for you?” “H-hello! Wait, does my face look weird? Ugh, please don’t stare!” “I was just thinking of you! O-oh, I’m sorry, did I say that out loud?”

Partnered

“Yes, love? Whatever it is you need of me, I’m yours.” “Oh, my love, just gazing upon you makes my chest feel so tight…” “Is such happiness really possible? Sometimes it doesn't feel real...” “Oh, darling…”

Bhaal’s Chosen

“This body is but a vessel. Words are useless.”

Broken up

“Oh, uh… hi.” “Please... please don't.”

2. Describe their tent setup! What’s on the outside? The inside?

Mav’s tent would probably be very humble and barebones at first, since she never really owned anything prior to her abduction. However, with time, I could see her trying to spruce it up with stuff she finds along the way, maybe decorate it with candles and flowers, books, pillows, cute stuffed animals Karlach would get her as gifts. Needless to say, it’s Mav, so the color palette would consist of mainly whites and reds!

3. What would their character quest be titled? Why?

Since she’s Durge the boring answer would be “The Dark Urge”, of course, but if I were to give it a Mav flair, maybe something like “Bloody Rose” could work?

4. What would your Tav’s romance scenes look like? How many would they have?

Oh, this is a fun one! I’m guessing Mav would have three romance scenes, one for each Act:

Act 1

Once the player raises her approval enough, a dialogue option will become available when speaking to Mav, something along the lines of “Careful there… a less charitable soul might mistake your overfamiliarity for flirting.” She would blush in response, and ask if it bothers the player that she’s been trying to get closer to them. If the player replies it doesn’t, then she’ll ask them to meet her later, and the next long rest, she’ll have an exclamation mark over her head. Upon speaking to her, the scene will trigger: she will take the player to a secluded place in the forest, where they can take a walk and talk in private. After some light banter, she’ll start by saying that from the moment she left the Nautiloid, she’s been stuck in a living nightmare, and everything terrifies her, most of all herself—this darkness within her that she still knows not the source of, and her past, a shadow looming threateningly over her. “But with you… I feel safe. Safe from myself.” The player is then prompted to choose whether to say they’re scared of her too, kiss her, or pick up a flower and tuck it behind her ear. The first option ends the scene (and the romance—bby gurl is hurt 😔); the second initiates some soft lovemaking in a field of flowers; and the third gets the player +15 approval with her after she gives them the sweetest little giggle and a peck on the cheek (the player may initiate lovemaking with her here as well by asking if she’d be okay with it).

Act 2

Since she’s Durge, Mav’s Act 2 romance scene would have to be tied to Durge’s Act 2 resist scene. It wouldn’t be that different from the original, except the player would witness the scene from the perspective of the love interest being woken up—they’d have to pass a persuasion check to get her to admit what Sceleritas has told her (if they don’t, rather than murdering them she’ll run away and spend the night by herself, and in the morning, end the romance while claiming she doesn’t want to risk anything like this happening ever again). After hearing what she has to say, they’d then tie her up and stay by her side throughout the night, whispering words of comfort in her ears. Once the Urge leaves her, she’ll be incredibly thankful and ask the player if she can hug them—if they agree, they’ll become partnered with her!

Act 3

Mav’s Act 3 romance scene varies greatly depending on whether she has resisted the Urge or become Bhaal’s Chosen—in the latter case, she won’t be herself anymore, the real Mav will be dead. However, the Urge will allow the player to use her body if they so wish; if the player accepts, this will immediately trigger a scene where they engage in rough, bloody sex with her on top of the altar at the Bhaal Temple. By the end of it, they’ll have to pass a perception check to stop her from sticking Bloodthirst inside their chest.

If she has resisted, then instead she’ll be crying quietly at camp, and the player can offer to comfort her—they’ll then take a romantic bath together under the soft moonlight, during which the player helps Mav wash away all the dried blood while making sweet love to her. The morning after, she’ll thank them for trusting her, for seeing the good in her even through all the darkness. “You cared, even when I had already given up on myself. I’m yours, body, mind and soul. For however long you’ll have me, I’ll be there. This I promise.”

5. Describe their idle animations!

Playing with her hair while idly rocking her body back and forth, tail swishing leisurely.

Sitting on a chair near her tent while sipping on some tea and reading a book (and nearly spilling the tea over the book at times).

Picking up a flower and tucking it behind her ear, only to then panic thinking someone is watching her and taking it off immediately.

Bending over to pet Scratch and the owlbear cub.

Looking at the player like she means to walk towards them, hesitating, trying again and then giving up.

6. How would the player go about meeting them in Act 1? What is their introduction?

Mav would be kneeling by one of the dead bodies at the Nautiloid crash site, holding her head with both of her hands, covered in blood. As soon as the player approached her, instead of scurrying off or attacking, she’d jump into their arms crying while saying something along the lines of “Dead… dead… they’re all dead… I’m scared…” Welp, see the mousy little weirdo with the big wet doe eyes and the offputting and unstable disposition (who may or may not be a tad homicidal)? Congrats, she’s your problem now!

7. Describe their arc. How would a player help resolve it? What choices can be made? Can your Tav be turned down a dark path, or pulled to a lighter one?

Mav is Durge, so her arc would be pretty much what we already see in-game. However, unlike with her canon counterpart, the Urge is a separate entity from herself. If she does decide to embrace Bhaal, this will thus result in a complete erasure of her individuality—instead, she will become an avatar for the Lord of Murder, and Mav as the player knows her will be no more.

8. After Act 3, what does their life look like? What are they talking about at the reunion party?

This varies a little depending on whether Astarion has ascended or not—if he hasn’t, then the spawn will be gone and they’ll be traveling the world looking for a way for him to be in the sun. While they do eventually settle down and realize that their life together, however imperfect, is already happy enough as is, at the time of the party, they’re still out and about, staying awake throughout the night and then sleeping during the day. Mav is his own personal blood bag, and it becomes rare for him to feed on anyone else that not her.

If he has ascended, then they’ll also be traveling, but for entirely different reasons! Mav wants to see the world, and he is more than happy to indulge her, pampered little consort that she is. He puts his plans of taking over Baldur’s Gate on hold for her; while Mav knows that she cannot get him to give up on them completely, she does try to gently distract him from his ambitions, wanting nothing more than for him to realize that living eternally in each other’s arm is in itself a privilege unlike any other.

In both cases, she is his light in the darkness, the trembling flame keeping him from being consumed by the shadows, albeit in different ways. And in both cases, they adore each other deeply and are attached at the hip, codependent to a fault. At the party, she doesn’t talk much about herself, unless prompted; the others can tell though, that she loves him, he loves her back, and they’re each other’s home—this will never change.

Back to Basics

9. What’s the significance behind your Tav’s name?

Mav actually has two different names! Sol, the name given to her by her foster parents, means “sun” in Latin, so that’s a simple one. As for Mavka, her real name, it means “the dead” in Old Slavic. Mavkas are a type of nymph or female spirit in Ukrainian folklore, known for luring young men to their deaths, although their evil is not always intentional. I like the contrast between the two names, I think it encapsulates her duality well!

10. Does your Tav have a last name? Is there a meaning behind it?

Mav was adopted into the Provoss clan, an upper class family hailing from Baldur’s Gate, whose patriarch, Sigurd Provoss, was a fervent follower of Tyr. He’d take her in under the pretense of raising a devilish child into a devout woman, yet as time passed, his fanaticism would consume him completely, to such extent that he’d forsake all else in his fixation with dominating her, including the family business. This would inevitably result in major losses to the Provoss’ now abandoned cattle herds—by the time of their untimely demise, the clan had been facing near destitution.

11. What is your Tav’s go-to comfort food?

Mav loves sweets foods, especially berries and milk tea!

12. Does your Tav have any tattoos or scars? Why?

Despite Mav’s torture at the hands of Kressa, the tadpole would prevent her from becoming scarred then; her only scar thus dates back to when she was still a child, resulting from the first in a series of events that would culminate in her awakening as Bhaal’s Chosen. Specifically, the base of her left horn has a nasty scar on the spot where it meets her skin, though it’s usually concealed under her hair. It was made by her own foster sister, who’d ambush her one day in an alleyway alongside a group of friends, brandishing a rock: “We’re family, right? Yet we don’t look alike at all. I mean, look at you—you’re a foul-blood! As your sister, I’d be doing you a kindness by ripping off those hideous things on your head.” They’d then hold her down and start hitting her with the rock, cutting a gash across her forehead—at that moment, Mav would finally give herself to the Urge, losing consciousness momentarily only to wake up with blood on her hands and the ground beneath her painted red with the innards of her attackers, who’d all been brutally murdered.

13. What is your Tav’s main color palette? Why do they choose those colors?

Mav is a whites and reds girlie through and through—she probably gravitates towards reds in particular due to her Bhaalist origins.

14. Where are they from? What was home like?

Mav is from Baldur's Gate, born and raised!

15. Is your Tav more likely to fight/flight/freeze/fawn?

Freeze, at first. Depending on the situation, also fawn.

16. What do they do for fun, when not adventuring? What are their hobbies?

Mav loves reading, mostly poetry and sugary sweet romance novels. The cheesier, the better!

17. Do they have any enemies outside of the main plot? Any friends?

Outside of the main plot, not really. None alive, anyway.

18. Where/with whom do they feel safest?

With Astarion—he is her safe haven, her anchor, her shield.

19. What is their MBTI Type?

ISFJ-T (Defender)

Deep Dives

20. What is their relationship to touch? Do they shy away from it? Do they need it to feel present?

Mav is very cuddly (and touch starved). Bear hugs, head pats, nose rubs, forehead kisses, she loves it all, though she doesn’t typically initiate pda—girlie is a bit shy!

21. Describe a defining moment from their past, which makes them who they are today!

The demise of her foster family by her own hand—or rather, by the Urge, as she was but a passenger inside her own body then, forced to helplessly watch them die one by one, crying out her name while begging for mercy.

22. How is your Tav’s relationship with their family? Their parents?

Mav’s foster family was terribly abusive towards her, her father most of all. He was obsessed with her, to the point of insanity, and this would in turn earn her the resentment of her foster mother and sisters—who truth be told, he’d treat horribly as well, yet when at one point Mav tried to bond with her mother over his victimization of them by telling her about his nightly visits to her room, instead of compassion and understanding, she was met with a slap across the cheek: “Don’t you dare speak of this, not now, not ever. Ungrateful child.” Her real family was of course not much better; Bhaal, her true Father, saw her as a means to an end, a sacrificial lamb, made to be consumed and then cast aside as soon as she was no longer of use to him.

23. How does your Tav act in situations of stress? In moments of peace?

In moments of peace, Mav’s presence is comforting to those around her; in situations of stress, she tends to either freeze or look to others for help.

24. What does your Tav consider to be their own biggest character flaw?

Mav is painfully self-aware and knows full well that most of the time, she comes across as too clingy and gullible. Her thirst for connection also makes her rather prone to selfishness and hypocrisy; she’s willing to forsake her morals entirely for those she loves. In that same vein, she hates that she cannot just let herself be kind without associating any so-called selfless acts with her overwhelming need for acceptance.

25. What is something they would die on a hill over?

Her love and devotion to Astarion. Especially as his consort, she will not allow others to imply she is not by his side of her own volition: “Please don’t patronize me. You think I don’t know what I’m doing? That I’m some damsel in distress? I know you mean well, but please don’t pretend that you understand this. That you understand us. You don’t. No one does.”

26. Give us one of your Tav’s secrets!

Mav actually can’t hold her liquor at all, so she usually abstains because she’s terrified of making a fool of herself. She will cry, puke, ask everyone if they love her, beg for their forgiveness, lean on them and fall asleep, drool all over their clothes. Her cheeks also become super flushed—Astarion thinks it’s adorable, and a bit hilarious.

27. What is the worst thing they’ve ever done/said to someone they love?

Nothing. When confronted by Karlach about choosing Astarion over her, Mav would say nothing. She was lying in her tent then—instead of apologizing, giving an excuse, saying anything at all, she’d hide under her blankets and start sobbing quietly, like the heartless coward she is. Karlach would forgive her eventually, though Mav still doesn’t believe herself worthy of such grace; of such love.

28. Describe a smell that reminds your Tav of childhood.

The metallic stench of stale blood.

29. What fears keep them up at night?

Herself; the Urge.

30. What does your Tav want more than anything?

To be loved. Deeply. Unconditionally. Forever. For good.

[illarian-rambling]

Sending hugs always!

As I’m a total cat/horse person.

Have to ask what everyone’s thoughts on cats and horses are.

And going trail riding Friday.

Please and thank you.

A scene with horses hm... You know, Astra doesn't know how to ride a horse, despite how cowboy she is. And Mashal used to be a calvary knight. Idk about a scene for everyone, but I could definitely do something with that. I'll put it under the cut because it got kinda long ;)

"Well, it can't be that hard!" Astra huffed, crossing her arms. Why she was getting defensive about this, she wasn't sure. There was just something that chipped away at her farm girl pride every time she admitted she'd never ridden a horse before.

It wasn't like horses were even used in rice farming! That was just something novelists made up for their cute little descriptions of the ideal, bucolic life, and all the city folk took it as scripture. As if any of their pansy asses had ever had to muck out a pig pen....

"It's- I mean- I'm just surprised is all," Mashal admitted, clearly having read some of those kitschy novels in his unremembered past. "You just strike me as someone who can ride a horse."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Astra snorted a laugh. "And I've ridden an ox, thank you very much. That counts."

Her bravado fell a little flat as she peered into the stable they stood in front of. Tall, gangly animals shifted and huffed within the wooden stalls. This was specifically a courier stable - it just so happened to be attached to the inn they were staying at. Mashal had wanted to stop by to see the animals, which was what had prompted this whole discussion.

Her friend raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "You know, these are courier horses. We could rent one for an hour if you wanted to learn to ride."

"I-" Astra snapped her mouth shut, lowered her volume back down to a seven, then began again. "I don't know, love. I don't think I'm really cut out for somethin' like that. My legs are real short, and I wouldn't wanna inconvenience anyone. Besides-"

"It's ok to be nervous about doing something new," Mashal interjected.

Immediately, Astra gave him a look. But of course, he'd read her like a book.

"I ain't nervous!" she insisted nonetheless. "Fine, let's do it! Gimme the biggest damn animal in there!"

Mashal's eyes went wide. "O- Ok! Gods beyond, I need to be more careful about accidental reverse psychology with you...."

"What was that?" Astra called. She was already halfway to the rental desk, where a sallow teenager was sitting bored out of his mind.

"Yeah, sure, let's do it!" Mashal shook his head fondly as he jogged after her.

○○○○○

A few minutes' time found Astra snuggly saddled on the back of a shaggy horse that had already tried to eat the ribbons off her coat a total of five times. Mashal, eyes glowing an excited white, had called it a Haflinger. Apparently, not everything from his childhood as the son of a horsebreeder had been lost in the fog of amnesia. His obvious eagerness helped put a damper on Astra's anxiety, but still, now that she was on the saddle, the ground seemed an awful long way off.

"Do I just... tap it or somethin'?" Astra gave a forced laugh. "There ain't exactly any levers to pull on this thing."

"You can tap her sides with your heels if you want her to go," Mashal explained. "The clerk says she's trained in Skysheerian style, so further directions are going to be given with the reins. That's different from the Sulu'Okan style I'm used to, where you just use your feet. It keeps the hands free for a bow. But don't worry about that for now. I'll keep a handle on her halter so you can get used to the feel of her under you."

Biting her tongue against any inopportune jokes, Astra studied her friend's face for a moment. As always, his barebones expressions were a little hard to read, however, those wide eyes and slightly raised eyebrows told a tale. Mashal was really excited about this, wasn't he? Astra's heart sank as she came to the realization that he probably missed riding a lot, but was prevented from doing so by a thousand pound metal body.

For him, she decided. I might be a little, teensy bit afraid, but I know he feels 'bout the same around magic, and he let's me teach him runes all the time. If it makes 'im happy, I can do this. Who knows, maybe I'll be some horse ridin' prodigy?

Gathering her confidence like armor, Astra gave the horse a kick, expecting to start into a gentle walk. Except, right as she did, the horse jerked up from where it'd been trying to eat her coat yet again, pulling free a ribbon as it did. A runic ribbon. A runic ribbon that popped in a shower of sparks.

It was no more than a firecracker really. Not enough to do any damage. But it sure was enough to spook the poor horse into a dead gallop.

Astra shrieked as the mare bolted, tearing it's halter free from Mashal's distracted grasp. Her friend called out in alarm, however, she could hardly hear him over the sound of thundering hooves and rushing wind.

Astra's hair and coat blew like streamers behind her, and she just barely got a hand up in time to catch her hat. The world was a blur, every impact of the mare's hoof nearly jolting her off the saddle.

Break, how do I break! What was it Mashal said? Somethin' with the reins?

One hand still over her hat, Astra yanked on the reins as hard as she could. Maybe she expected a dead stop, but a horse wasn't a machine as she was more accustomed to.

For a moment, framed against the setting sun, she was the very picture of ranchhand heroism. It was a clean silhouette she cut on the back of a rearing horse, curls streaming untethered in the wind. Then, the image was promptly shattered by gravity's ungraceful hand.

Second later, Astra groaned as she found herself flat on her back. Her ribs ached from where she'd fallen, and her breath came in short gasps. The sound of footsteps transitioned into a familiar clang of bronze as Mashal slid down next to her.

"Gods beyond, are you alright!" Her friend's hands fluttered anxiously as he peered into her bleary eyes. "I should've thought about the coat, I'm so sorry. I didn't hold on and-"

"Mashal." Astra put a finger over his lips from her position flat on her back. "That... That was fuckin' incredible!"

Her friend blinked. "Wh- Really?"

A grin crept up Astra's lips as she remembered the wind's fingers combing through her hair, remembered the rush of adrenaline and pure joy. How fast had she been going there? It'd felt like she could've caught up to the horizon!

The witch sprang to her feet, staggering a little as the world spun around what might’ve been a very minor concussion. Plans for a network of gravitation runes capable of reducing a thousand pounds to two hundred bounced through her mind. Mashal seemed to catch the wild look in her eyes and sighed with relief. If she could scheme, she wasn't that injured after all.

Grinning like a child, Astra grabbed Mashal by the hand and began towing him after the runaway mare.

"Let's do that again!" she cheered.

[un-local]

15, 17, 18?

15. Do you foresee any personal or professional obstacles this year, that would keep you from creating fanworks? 

Ha, lol. Nothing will stop me. But I suppose I can admit some things may get in my way lol. For example:

Finding out I actually got into grad school

my HellJob worsens my burnout to the point that BG3 isn’t enough to fix it (god forbid) (it’s working so far… but let’s not jinx it, lol.)

Any number of possible family ordeals coming to pass. (Collapse, Reunion, Reunion destabilizing the system enough to cause Collapse…) (I know that’s vague, but I don’t want to elaborate more than that. TLDR: it’s a delicate ecosystem at times. But there’s no sense in worrying. Suffering ahead is suffering twice, or whatever.)

Truth is, 2023 was the year life really found new ways to fuck me up. And I still posted plenty nonetheless… so I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m nothing if not hardy. Like a scrappy little tundra plant 👍 (But if you’re the type see fanwork as merely content… then I guess you’ll be waiting longer than you like. Sorry. Can’t be helped.)

17. Do you typically answer all comments/reviews individually? Do you plan to change the way you interact with your readers this year?

Yes, I do answer everything—I love it. I plan to keep it that way until the end of time. If you left me an ask or a comment on AO3, I absolutely plan on answering it! (In fact, I have one I’m formulating a response to right now)

18. Do you typically post multi-chapters as you write, or finish it all and then start posting? Would you like to change your posting method? 

Oh, I have a weird workflow. It goes something like this: 

Draft a rough major outline for the fic as a whole. Barebones, plot skeleton. For SWRD, this is done. ✓

Go in and add in the fine details and emotional moments. The substance, if you will. With the way I write canon divergence, this is where it gets sticky: lots of rearranging, and setup for future divergences/characterizations here. Since I go past what canon gives us, it means I want to watch my footing and step carefully, so to speak.

Fill in the scenes with real words. The easy part! Mostly. 

For steps 2 and 3, I work in “sets” of chapters. So I have about 3 or 4 in the works right now. They might be on the longer side. 

Mostly, it’s about getting the emotional arcs balanced with the onset of Rogier’s true decline right now. And sowing seeds for their future dealings with Ranni post-Nokron 👍

Would I like to change it? Nah. It gives me time to think, so I can (hopefully) end up with something coherent. More free time would be nice tho… XD

Thanks for the ask anon, Happy New Year! 🎉

Send me a number!

[eldritchazure]

i have a surak-era oc who i’m gonna ramble about here from time to time.

he’s from t’paal because i’m Fascinated by that region for some reason. i really wish there was more info on it but alas. i’ll have to make shit up as i go. he was born in one of the enclaves but i’m thinking he was raised in a temple of akraana there.

(people don’t know what the goddess akraana presided over, only that she was the wife(?) of the war god khosarr, so i’m gonna make things up. i’m thinking she was some kind of goddess of magic, prophecy, and art because it’s convenient and also cool. also since one of the enclaves where her disciples lived is now an artists’ enclave so it works. her worshippers were kinda like a mystery cult, similar to the cult of despoina, hence why people don’t know what her deal was today. sorry for the info dump, i find this kind of thing REALLY interesting so i think about it A Lot.)

so this guy was a disciple of akraana and raised in one of her temples. the reason why he was sent there as a child was because he had these “visions” of the past and the future. the actual reason for the “visions” was that his mind was frequently temporally displaced. not permanently or constantly like spock’s was in disco, but it kind of came and went? like he’d be going about his day and then all of a sudden BAM there’s gonna be a horrible famine here At Some Point in the Near Future. or BAM someone was murdered horrifically at this spot A Very Long Time Ago. or someone was born at this spot and a lot of people were full of joy about it A Very Long Time Ago. he couldn’t tell when exactly things happened/would happen, only vague impressions. this is why he was dropped off at the temple by his parents. they didn’t know how to deal with the visions and figured the temple people might. is this logical or at all responsible parenting? definitely not. but i’m thinking the visions put great mental strain on him and by extension his parents through the familial bonds so maybe sending him to live with the people who specialized in that kind of thing would be able to take care of him better. whether or not that’s true remains to be seen.

i have no idea how the temporal displacement happened, or why it isn’t like how spock’s was. at this point it’s plot convenience. idk maybe it’s some weirdo space entity?? idk idk. anywho he mistook the weirdo space entity for akraana (or maybe it was akraana. who knows. ANYWAY.)

so yeah he gets these visions. maybe they slowly drive him a little mad? i don’t know!! i’ll figure it out, or maybe i won’t. but yeah he gets visions and then writes them down in a bunch of notebooks over his life. he doesn’t know what most modern things are so they’re written through a kind of fantastical/mythological lens. he predicts different wars with aliens but he doesn’t know they’re aliens so he calls them like, demons or spirits or whatever. even technology that could be found at that time he probably didn’t know about, because i’m imagining that the temple/area he was raised in was one of the ones that was generally against technology. so if he were to predict the radiation from the nuclear weapons being used at the time, people wouldn’t know what he meant until it was happening.

eventually the notebooks are found and now they’re in a museum somewhere displaying the history of the region. most historians dismiss his prophecies as the ramblings of a madman but those who look closely enough do admit it is somewhat eerie how they seem to mirror a lot of big historical events.

for example, a ship full of vengeful demons wearing the faces of vulcans emerging from a portal, who will consume t’khasi from the inside out.

anywho. at the moment his name is tova. this is subject to change. his story is pretty barebones at the moment and is little more than a concept that i’ve written out here in a very long winded post. i’ll probably flesh it out some more, add some much needed Drama and probably a healthy serving of Angst, as you do.

[thearchivistsjournal]

Day 355,

Looks like Maiko wasn’t as fine with the forge heat as she thought.  She seems to be okay now, but she definitely gave us all a scare this afternoon.

School was still in session when I felt the sudden jolt of fearful awareness from the bracelet.  A glance at Cass told me she’d felt it too.  Not wanting to upset the kids too much I said that I’d just remembered something important I needed to attend to today and ended class an hour or so early.  Another look to Cass and she nodded and jerked her head to the door.  I took the hint and left her to handle getting everyone packed up and on their way home while I went out.

It was a beautifully clear day outside.  The uncovered sun was shining bright and warming the streets with no clouds to block its rays.  A sight unseen for weeks.  A sign that we were nearing the end of the rainy season.  Probably what pushed Maiko over the edge.

I ran into Vernon on the way and Lin was already there when we arrived at the blacksmith’s workshop.  She and Ka’ena had moved the unconscious Maiko to a shady spot outside where Lin was wiping Maiko’s forehead with a damp cloth.  Taking Maiko the short distance down to the beach to cool her off in the water was briefly discussed, but that idea was shot down for fear of the salt water exacerbating dehydration.  Instead Lin and Vernon went knocking on the nearest neighbor’s door asking to borrow their bathtub.  It took trying a few different houses to find someone who was actually home.  The older man who finally answered his door was all too willing to help once the situation was explained.

The man, Rakesh I think his name was, and I got the bath running and made sure doors were open and the path was clear while Vernon and Ka’ena carried Maiko with Lin’s supervision.  Cass arrived just as we were lowering Maiko into the cool water.  After that, Lin shooed the rest of us out so she could have room to work and Maiko could have some privacy.

Ka’ena spent a fair bit of time blaming herself for what happened.  For not recognizing what was happening sooner and not being more forceful with Maiko to get her to slow down and rest.  Vernon was the one who managed to dig her out of that downward spiral.  We’re still not sure how much of it was a matter of Maiko actively hiding signs of distress and how much was a matter of symptoms simply manifesting differently with her not-quite-human biology.  

Interestingly, it sounds like Maiko didn’t collapse until moments before Lin arrived, which meant the bracelets actually warned us before that happened.  Asking Ka’ena some more about the timeline of events, I’m guessing the warning went out around the time Maiko started visibly losing coordination and admitted to feeling dizzy.  Speaking of the sequence of events then got Ka’ena asking how we all knew to come help before she even had the chance to go looking for help.  I gave a barebones explanation of the bracelets as linked artifacts, feeling a little weird as I did so to be letting someone outside of our friend group in on our… well, it’s not exactly a secret per say but I couldn’t help but feel like I was talking about something personal and private.

And so we spent our time sort of awkwardly waiting out in Rakesh’s living room, with many repeated apologies and thanks directed his way.  Like I said though, he seemed eager to help a neighbor in need and (although I’d never say this aloud to anyone) I suspect it may have made an exciting - or at least interesting - change of routine for him.  Eventually Cass emerged from the bathroom with the news that Maiko was awake and instructions for obtaining a glass of water with a small amount of salt.  The first brought relief and the second was followed and brought back into the bathroom.

Around half an hour or so later the bathroom door opened again and Lin emerged with an unsteady Maiko leaning on her and Cass following behind.  Lin announced that she would be taking Maiko with her to her place to monitor through the night since it was the closest of all of ours and she didn’t want Maiko attempting the lighthouse stairs in her current condition.  Maiko made a token protest that she was fine now, but didn’t object further once everyone else in the room pointed out that she very much was obviously not.

And so, one last round of thanks toward Rakesh and we filed out.  Ka’ena went to her parent’s to fill them and Huan in on what happened while the rest of us followed Lin and Maiko for moral support and to help in the off chance that Maiko collapsed again.  Once we got to Lin’s empty house and got Maiko onto a bed Lin thanked us for our help but politely encouraged us to leave so Maiko could get some proper rest.  Cass she let stay after an offer to quietly remain on hand to help out, but Vernon and I not so much.  Getting the maybe-apprenticeship started early I guess.

Not knowing what else to do with ourselves, Vernon and I wound up getting an early dinner together.  It was a nice enough dinner, as meals with Vernon tend to be, but when he asked me how I was doing I chose to ignore the obvious lesson of the day in favor of saying I was fine and changing the subject to the potential Cloud Tower expedition this coming dry season (or the one after if getting a second boat ready takes too long).  He’s still on the fence about if that’s such a good idea or not, but he said if the rest of us are set on it he’d do what he can to help us even if he doesn’t end up going himself.  I would like to have him along this time though.  Well, I suppose I’ve got plenty of time to talk him around.  Probably.

In other news, once I got back to the archive this evening I pulled the old extrapolated census project back out and made an attempt to get that started back up again.  Admittedly, tonight was mostly just figuring out where/when I left off before.  I think with a good week or two of working on that every evening I might finally manage to finish it.  Amazing what a potential deadline will do for motivation.

Hmmm… looking back on this entry and thinking about things, it occurs to me that I still didn’t see any sign of Lin’s mother when we were in her house.  Was too focused on worrying about Maiko to really think about it at the time.

<==Previous          Next==>

[mildew-mop]

Did they try to make it one of the “funny” marvel movies aka mimicking the first guardians of the galaxy and failing

Actually, not really. If anything, the handful of comedic scenes were actually kind of good. I will admit that I've always been a sucker for marvel type humor even when it's admittedly not great. There's this character that's like a red blob that was kind of amusing and that's the kind of character I like in these types of stories. He had way too little screentime, as did the rest of the quantum realm beings. This movie has a sprinkle of creativity but it is not focused on at all. But the jokes and handful of scenes (or brief portions of scenes) written to be funny are kinda funny. Even this gross disgusting creature (Ross Mulan's face) have a few funny moments (though it does often devolve into cringe humor that is not earned). If anything, I will say this movie is mostly dead air (*cough* over confident in visuals much? *cough* unionize effects artists *cough*). If this movie had instead been a comedy, I feel like it would've worked better. The movie is just this extremely barebones plot, it drags, and there is no emotional investment. I think if it tried to be like a fast paced comedy it would have been... better. I cannot believe I'm saying this, but if this movie tried being a lazy Deadpool parody of meta humor and cynicism, it may have ended up a better movie. It wouldn't have been good, but it would have been more tolerable. I am not joking. I am trying to picture a better movie and that actually sounds like a better movie, and only because I like that stupid shit. It would have at least been less boring.

[luminousrider]

The Ethereal Ball is done, but as you’re leaving, you see flocks of people making for a barely-trodden little footpath leading partway down the mountain. Should you follow it, the sound of music and hollering would begin to swell, until you are greeted with a barebones but extremely lively party with a large bonfire and no shortage of entertainment. Dancing, singing – both far more boisterous and free than anything the Ball offered – is plentiful, and it only seems to be getting started. There’s even a fun axe-throwing game set up between the trees. Better take advantage of the party now - those clouds overhead look ready to snow. [Grants Axe +1]

Hey, do you want to go to a party?

No.  That feels too casual.  It could mean anything.  He might not even realize she was asking him if he’d want to go with her.  

So I heard about this party from some of the other students and I was wondering if you’d go with me?

Ug.  It’s better, she supposes.  But, even if she’s just rehearsing it in her head, it doesn’t feel like this is how she’d ask it.

Should she just challenge him again?  It had been easy approaching him with a plate full of pasta and a dare.  Her stomach hadn’t been flip flopping like this then.  But that had been before they’d laughed together and danced together.  That was before he headbutted some creep in the face over her.

I had fun at the ball and I heard about this party…

Ah shit there he is and she still isn’t feeling confident about how she’s going to approach this.  There had been a moment she considered asking Nanna or Lene or Patty for some advice but that would’ve required her to admit out loud that she was feeling some things after the ball and she absolutely was not about to do that.

“There’s a party,” she blurts out as she approaches him.  Oof.  Terrible start.  “Do you want to go to it?  I mean, if you’re not busy with something else.”  Her cheeks flush just slightly as she realizes how totally lame she sounds and she waits a moment for an answer before quickly adding, “I would be there too.  Well, a lot of people will be there since it’s a party.  But we could go to it together.”

@justicefanged

It's Not a Date (It's Absolutely a Date)

[slytherwrites]

Dedicated Interest - pt 1

Costume Innovation

The moment when a Class 1A member became interested in you would be days into the second year of school when you actually approached them after the second year lunch. With your notepad in hand and confidence spurred on from Power Loader himself supporting the redesigns, you head towards your target: Momo Yaoyorozu.

You’ve seen her fight—you’ve seen all of the future heroes fight. Support Class students are encouraged to watch Hero Course students in order to gain inspiration. Over the winter break, something in you had the urge to fix many of the hero students’ costumes—particularly the ones in Class 1A. They seemed to need your help the most.

The cafeteria is massive. But the tall girl isn’t hard to spot. With her long, black hair and confident, but charming voice, you’re able to locate her pretty easily. Getting her away from the girls she’s walked in with is the hard part.

But you don’t stop. In fact, you just go for it. It’s now or never, afterall.

“Yaoyorozu,” you ask, “can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Oh yeah, sure!” She replies, “don’t wait up for me guys. I’ll be there shortly!”

You lead her out into the hallway. The noise of the cafeteria can still be heard, but it’s muted enough so you two can clearly hear each other.

“Have we met before..?”

“Not formally,” you reply, “I’m one of the Support Class students, L/N Y/N. I was watching a bunch of the students compete and I was inspired to do costume redesigns.”

You pass her the notepad. A barebones sketch of her is underneath a more detailed drawing of your suggested hero outfit. With inspiration from both her summer and winter costume, it gives more strategic thought to her hero costume than there was before. There is an open back with an easily detachable front that can optionally be worn with a cloak. Elbow pads and knee pads provide joint protection, as well as shoes that’ll support her instead of the heeled boots she’d been fighting in. The cutouts are strategically placed, with spots on her thighs, lower legs, back and stomach. There still is an element of modesty, as her breasts aren’t halfway out all the time anymore and it’s all in her original color scheme.

“This is…” She pauses. You can’t tell what’s on her mind.

“Sorry if I overstepped my boundaries, I promise not to bother you anymore!”

“This is ingenious!” Momo replies, “Tell me, when do you think you could have this made?”

“Oh umm… I would have to get you measurements and source the materials, but that shouldn't take too long. A week, maybe two tops? Nothing new’s being innovated, it’s just a matter of taking it from my notes to an actual thing…”

“Sounds great.” She takes the pencil you keep clipped on your notepad and writes down her number, “I need to get to lunch but I’m free this afternoon for measurements. Text me!”

“I will!” You take the notebook, clutching it against your chest. Yaoyorozu was the right person to start with.

===

You immediately added Yaoyorozu’s number after lunch and now you’re getting a ping from it.

Yaoyorozu: Hey, I’m free anytime from 4:30-6:30pm. What time works best for you?

You look at your clock now. 4:30’s coming up soon. A number of your classmates are still in the 2-H Workshop, but it isn’t so busy that you wouldn’t bring in another person—that’s only when Hatsume’s working, as she’s a safety hazard in and of herself.

Y/N: Now’s fine! I’m in the 2-H workshop. It’s in the east wing.

The chatter of machinery and the lyrics to some pop song trail along in the background. You’ve mostly tuned it out, so Yaoyorozu has to tap on your shoulder to get your attention.

“Y/N?” Her calling you by your first name gets you out of your daze and you reply, “Oh, hi Yaoyorozu!”

You turn to face her. A bit of heat heads to your face as you see Yaoyorozu’s skin tight outfit. She certainly isn’t uncomfortable in her skin.

“You like my outfit? It’s designer—part of Mount Lady’s recently dropped workout line.” She replies, “I thought I’d wear something closer to my skin in order to get proper measurements done.”

“Oh yeah. That’s smart. Let me grab my tailor’s tape and a sticky note!” You rummage through your school bag for spare supplies, pulling it out and pushing your classwork aside, “Here it is! Now we’ll start from the top down, getting all of the measurements and then you can be on your way.”

“Sounds perfect.” Momo stands straight, arms and legs shoulder width apart. She’s obviously done this before.

As you hum along to the music, Momo watches you. You don’t notice, but she stares at you, dedicating every little detail to memory. Something in her wants to replicate everything you have for herself. Though, as you stand up and put your tape measurer down, she coughs and clears her mind of it’s racing thoughts.

“So… what were you working on?”

“Schoolwork, nothing much.” You admit, “Just some back to school safety briefings—as if most of us didn’t come in during the winter to continue our projects. You probably don’t want to hear about it.”

Momo proves you wrong, “What other projects do you have going on?”

“Oh uh… well, Power Loader’s gave us a robotics project to work on and I’ve been specializing in costumes so I’ve been trying to create a list of heroes and hero students to make improved costumes on. You’re the first I’ve actually been able to do hands-on work for though… That’s for this, by the way!”

“How could I refuse?” Momo asks, “Your improvements and overall design is better than what I could’ve come up with on my own.”

“I guess…”

“May I ask,” Momo says, “How did you come up with this design?”

“Mostly by watching your trainings, as well as current pro hero costume trends.” You repsponds, “Most female pro heroes have their legs exposed in some capacity, but don’t have any sort of knee protection—which I think is stupid. And if we do knee protection, we need elbow protection. And I’d advocate for more coverage in order to have protective plating underneath the suit, but since you need your skin out, I had to limit it to specific areas. And the cloak came really handy for that! Plus I could have it cover your back in order to let you conceal items you create and have you… I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“No, no! It’s fine.” Momo replies, “I find this fascinating. Please continue!”

“Well… I’ve noticed that in a pinch that you’ll lose your top and then have to make yourself new clothes. But since your shirt is magnetic and can be put back together, you can save… materials as well as use that space for other things.” You continue with a laugh at yourself, “I don’t really understand how your quirk works, but I hope this costume will work…”

“I convert fat lipids into other atoms and release them from my skin.” Momo explains, “but I think your idea will work.”

“Let’s see.” You reply, “Well, I think that’s all I need from you. Thanks for sticking around and listening to my rambling, Yaoyorozu.”

“Call me Yaomomo. My friends do, anyway.” She tells you, “Text me anytime!”

“Oh uh, cool.” You tell her, “I will.”

She eventually leaves you to your devices, but you don’t leave her thoughts. In fact, you are steadily taking up a large portion of her thoughts as she contacts her house staff to start construction on a wing in the manor to give you the biggest, best laboratory possible.

[tainbocuailnge]

fgo criticisms have been flaring up in the wake of dw’s sakura wars mobile game quitting after only half a year but I have a disease that makes me get defensive when people try to rip fgo apart as this uniquely terrible game with uniquely terrible devs so i’m going to complain about people who are complaining for a bit.

i hadn’t heard of the sakura wars game before it shut down but from what i’ve been able to find it suffered from a lot of the same problems as (launch) fgo, terrible gacha rates with no pity, slow ap recovery rates, barebones repetitive gameplay. so i guess seeing how fast sakura wars was shut down people feel like it’s only the fate name holding up fgo and in the early launch days of barely playable fgo that was definitely the case but I don’t think it’s fair to fgo to act like people only continue to play it because it’s fate, and “being like fgo” wasn’t the only problem with sakura wars either. sakura wars is a vn/dating sim series that attempted to revive the series with a mobile game that featured none of the original cast that fans cared about while fate was already a series with new characters and a new setting every instalment and the thing that stood out in this new game was actually that it DID have characters from previous fates available. hell, it’s not fair to sakura wars to claim that its series name is simply weaker than fate’s when there were other factors involved in its failure beyond “being a delightworks game”

fgo DOES improve, launch fgo is unrecognisable compared to current fgo in a good way. events have become more streamlined (events have mid- to lategame enemy hp scaling but feature damage ce’s to let newer players keep up, mission events are set up so that they basically clear themselves just by farming the most recently unlocked node), they experiment with new game modes and gameplay mechanics on the regular, they’re taking more care to make viable permanent servants and buff the older ones, and the past few months there’s also been a noticeable effort to throw out random banners for minor things as an excuse to rerun old limited servants more often. I’ll admit the bar is on the low side (strengthening quests are a ridiculous model, there shouldn’t be this many limiteds to need reruns in the first place, etc) and progress is slower than many people are willing to put up with, and I’m not saying anyone Has to put up with it or they’re a fake fan or whatever, but like, granblue fantasy is seven years old and still doesn’t have the ability to uncap a weapon multiple stages at a time when its entire gameplay loop centers around farming and uncapping weapons and they’ve buffed heles like 7 times but she’s still shit, none of fgo’s problems are exclusive to fgo.

i LIKE playing fgo. i like tapping the cards and watching my little guys go and coming up with different teams to make them go harder or just look good together or even lean into the Themes. and this is going a little bit on a tangent but i have this post window open anyway i was talking with friends earlier that one problem that a lot of mobile games seem to have is that they use “making the game play itself” as substitute for “making the game fun to play”. the only game with autobattle functionality (out of the ones I play, i don’t know everything that’s out there of course) that I feel DOESN’T do this is arknights, where you solve the puzzle that the stage presents in order to earn the right to not have to solve the puzzle every single time you play the stage and coming up with different efficient or perhaps ridiculous ways to solve the puzzle is part of playing the game. the worst case I know is dragalia lost which upon realizing that playing it sucks implemented an item to just let you skip playing stages altogether. “this game is good because you don’t have to play it” is not the selling point some people (and devs) think it is, and fgo refuses to fall into that trap - something I believe is an intentional decision because of their explicit refusal to implement NP skip.

one big advantage that fgo has over the other mobile games i’ve played is that it’s entirely turn based with no real time elements beyond start and end times of events. fgo doesn’t NEED to continue playing itself when you look away because looking away has no bearing whatsoever on your ability to clear the quest, fgo doesn’t give a shit if you look away for six hours and then close the game and only reopen it another ten hours later, you can continue right where you left off. the problem is not that you have to manually play the quest, because as far as the system is concerned you can take as much time as you like to clear that quest, it’s that the greater structure of the game wants you to repeatedly manually clear the same low-stakes quest for disproportionately small rewards. this one’s easy enough to solve by just increasing material droprates across the board. repeat clearing a low level quest is much less frustrating if you actually get drops every other clear.

but that’s a bandaid solution, because related to the issue of having to manually farm low-stakes quests is the lack of high-stakes quests to do when you want to do something a little more engaging than routine farming. outside of event challenge quests with their time limited availability, certain main story chapters that you can’t replay, and recently on JP the permanently available kiara challenge quest in the main interlude, there simply isn’t any difficult content to play. you could argue about fgo’s merit as strategy rpg in the first place i suppose but if you ask me it does have that merit and there is a clear effort from dw’s part to improve the depth of fgo’s strategy elements, the issue is that there is simply not that much content available to unleash those strategies on. of course you’re gonna get bored if all there is to do is either brainlessly repeat the same quest for minimal rewards or play the specific challenge quest that the game hands you right this moment regardless of whether that’s the kind of challenge you feel like facing right now. the solution to this one, although it’s likely going to take some significant effort on dw’s side to implement, is to make main story quests replayable.

you want to flex your brain muscles but there’s no challenge event right now? you stomped on a boss by using overpowered servants the first time but want to challenge yourself with some 3* this time? or the other way around, you beat a boss by the skin of your teeth the first time but want to stomp all over them now that you rolled some bitching 5*? you rolled a servant that’s not that suitable for day to day farming but would really shine in more difficult content and you want to try them out? you have a silly strategy in mind that would only work against certain story enemies? you’re like me and just really crave the shimosa duels? all of this involves content that already exists and is available in the game, dw would just have to figure out a way to let you access it again after clearing the chapter. and of course ideally this extends to event story quests once they’re added to the main interlude

i guess another way to put it is that i think the reason a lot of people say fgo has bad gameplay is not that its gameplay system is actually bad, in fact it has the potential to be very engaging, but rather that it’s a system that is set up to respect your time through the ability to put down the game absolutely whenever you want without being penalised, only for the game around it to go and penalise you for putting it down anyway. if you don’t diligently spend all your ap farming this quest you won’t get single damn material drop, and if you don’t play the event while it‘s happening you’re going to miss out because you can’t be sure when if ever it’ll return. so the number one way to solve the problem of fgo’s “bad gameplay” is not to make the game play itself whenever it tells you to play, but rather to make content more easily available so you don’t have to play if you don’t want to and CAN play if you do want to. thank you for coming to my ted talk i suppose

[film-in-my-soul]

Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts Masterlist

A mobile-friendly, Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts masterlist from across all my blogs/AO3:

Be mindful of ratings!

(New fics at the top of the fandom category with **)

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Fanfiction:

Dance With Me    

Pairing: Remus Lupin/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: You’re dancing alone and it id apparently the exact think you needed to do to get long time crush to confess to you.

It’s Her… It’s You…  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader  

Rating: T

Summary: Jealousy and a full bottle of alcohol are not a good mix.

I Love You… PT 2

Pairing: Neville Longbottom/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: The alternative POV of “I Love You”

I Love You…

Pairing: Neville Longbottom/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: “I love you” can be impossible to get out… especially when it’s too late.

You Make Me Want to Say Your Name

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader  

Rating: G

Summary: Sometimes words are hard to say and sometimes they are necessary.

Forget Me, Forget Me Not

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: There are consequences to having a relationship with a wizard when you’re a No-Maj, but sometimes, the power of love is enough to circumvent them… just a little.

Too Shy to Say  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader  

Rating: G

Summary: Can two best friends finally admit that they’re head over heels for one another?

I’ll Teach You (NSFW)    

Pairing: Credence Barebone/Reader  

Rating: M

Summary: An inexperienced Credence searches for knowledge and assistance from a very willing reader.

Breathe

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: The reader is struck with an anxiety attack and Newt is there to help them through it.

Dip  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Male!Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Newt and his assistant share a dance.

Sick in Bed

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: The reader is sick and Newt is there to care for them.

Pretending You’re Beside Me

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Caring for Newt’s creatures the reader breaks down with emotion over their unrequited feelings for a certain wizard.

Start of Something New  

Pairing: Percival Graves/Reader

Rating: M

Summary: The office might not be the best place to start a relationship, but really, where is?

Finals Week  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: It’s finals week and you could use a little comfort.

I Deserve Better  

Pairing: Percival Graves/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Magic is real. You know that. Your mother was magic. But you never expect the proof to simply walk into your life again once she’s gone.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Magic is real. You know that. Your mother was magic. But you never expect the proof to simply walk into your life again once she’s gone.

Most Assuredly You (Not Yourself Sequel)

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: A follow up to the events that took place in Not Yourself.

A Pound of Flesh (NSFW)

Pairing: Percival Graves/Reader

Rating: M

Summary: An intimate moment between Percival Graves and his partner.

Never  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: The reader is captured and subjected to the crucio curse for information. She’ll never break though.

Rule Four

Pairing: Percival Graves/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: The reader attempts to inspire jealousy in her lover Percival Graves.

Bow You Idiot!  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: The reader gives Newt a run for his money with her knowledge of magical creatures. At first they can’t stand each other, but they eventually find themselves falling for one another.

Grandfather Always Said…

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: G

Length: 7339 words

Summary: When Newt is hurt on a case a No-Maj passing by helps him with the assistance of the worlds best Bowtruckle.

Not Yourself  

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: Newt is affected by a creature and it’s not as fun of an experience as one might think.

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Headcanons/Thoughts:

Kissing Percival Graves

Pairing: Percaival Graves/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: Sharing kisses with Percival Graves.

Kissing Newt Scamander

Pairing: Newt Scamander/Reader

Rating: T

Summary: Kisses shared with Newt Scamander.

Dating Tina Goldstein - Female!Reader

Pairing: Tina Goldstein/Female!Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Dating Tina Goldstein as a woman.

Dating Percival Graves

Pairing: Percival Graves/Reader

Rating: G1

Summary: Dating Percival Graves.

Credence Barebone - Attention

Pairing: Credence Barebone/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: When Credence needs your attention.

Fantastic Beasts Characters - Festive Season

Pairing: No Pairing

Rating: G

Summary: Spending the holiday season with the Fantastic Beasts characters.

Dating Jacob Kowalski - Eating Disorder

Pairing: Jacob Kowalski/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Dating Jacob Kowalski while having an eating disorder.

Dating Credence Barebone - Modern

Pairing: Credence Barebone/Reader

Rating: G

Summary: Dating Credence Barebones in a modern setting.

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[hankwritten]

Maybe It's OK to Want This

Demoman/Soldier, 1k

Part of the DontNeedADiscord Pride Week, Day 3: Colors

He’d called me a “Red Devil” once, back when it was still a little true, when everything we said had a bit of heat in it. We were cautious then, not sure how far we were taking this, unclear on whether meeting up with the enemy once or twice counted as a transgression or not. Everything had an edge, not quite sincere, where the only thing allowed to be genuine was the gentle ribbing and the less than gentle scuffles.

It was always, “c’mon BLU, stay for another drink,” and, “not going to happen RED.” We didn’t even have the decency to call each other by our class titles, just RED and BLU, colors of our shirts and colors of our allegiances. It was sudden—blink and you’ll miss it—when each other’s real names started slipping out.

Blue didn’t even suit him. He was red-blooded inside and out, as much in the way he declared his patriotism as in his fire when he started spitting fighting words. No one else saw it the way I did, though. He was sullen in public, gruff, ‘grumpy’ even if Scout’s commentary was accurate to the general consensus, and people were always surprised when I could get him to laugh at the poker table. I was the outgoing one after all, bright and energetic, always there with a joke or a drink to bring my cheerless companion out of his burrow. No one else seemed to notice the placidity was just his state of neutrality, that it only took a bit of elbow grease for the paint to come right off.

And me? Well I was always shite at being Red in the soul.

I wasn’t even good at hiding it, though that didn’t matter much when no one cared to look. They were much happier with the boisterous drunk who at least got his job done, and I feared the day when someone wasn’t satisfied anymore and wanted to crack open the oyster’s shell, prying it apart until there was no coming back together again. No, I’d always been partial to the melancholic—the dark, the brooding, the stewing in your own self-hate until it’s all you have. But Soldier could change that. He never asked about the days when I suddenly didn’t want to do anything anymore, canceling plans last minute and trying to slink away into the depths of the mansion so I could drink myself into oblivion. Despite the boisterousness of him all, he wasn’t one for talking—instead, he’d hunt me down, on the battlefield or off, and sit by my side while I bawled my eye out. It was hard to thank him for that. It’d mean admitting it happened in the first place.

When our lives started bleeding together, when the names of our employers dropped from our vocabulary, I could feel it become dangerous. That this was more than skirting the letter of the law in the edges of our contracts, that it was sinking into something violet, plum colored ink seeping into the lines of a new agreement we’d penned ourselves.

I panicked. Not because I knew we’d crossed a line somewhere, but because I felt there was even more to come.

During a night in a smoky casino where it was hard to see the table in front of you, and Soldier was happy enough. The women that had joined us for the evening were most certainly lovely, and the blonde that had singled him out kept leaving him with a dopey grin on his face every time she whispered something in his ear. Money attracted here in the city of sin, and it was clear we were men with deep pockets even before we’d begun our lucky night. My own lassie was playing a different game all together; instead of being so bold as to sit in my lap, she would lean on my arm and only pay me half a mind, watching me out of the corner of her eye with a smirk on her black-painted lips.

The strap of her red cocktail dress slid down every now and again. I’d lift it back up, and she’d say, “thanks handsome,” while sipping from her martini.

I enjoyed those sorts of games. The dance of trading suggestive comments is a lost art—by the time I’d asked if she was spending the night anywhere, Soldier and his date had long since disappeared.

It was a nice distraction. When I knocked on the door of our interconnecting rooms the next morning, I felt better than I had in ages. Reaffirmed.

It didn’t last. I could feel him—feel us—still bleeding into one another, getting further and further from when exchanged jibes over ribs and a few beers. It wasn’t okay how much I enjoyed it. It wasn’t right how much I wanted him.

I settled back into affable drunkenness, perfectly sanguine as I picked up more women than usual in some rabid attempt at normalcy. It was all fun, and I could sit in the morning after and assure myself this is what I liked, that what I wanted from Soldier was something completely different than this.

Funnily enough, that was true in its own way.

It was hard to describe the difference between Soldier and, well, anyone. Hard in words, at least. How do I even begin to limn how watching him come to life during a night on the town was so different from batting flirty remarks with a potential bedmate? Why was his arm around my shoulders as equally stirring as a palm over the back of my hand, yet still so wildly different?

Because one of those things is wrong, I tried to tell myself, but that rang hollow after the fortieth time I’d grumbled it into a scrumpy bottle.

How could this be wrong? I asked myself when he grinned at me, helmetless, sitting on the floor of his barebones apartment. How could this be wrong? as he drunkenly leaned against me, murmuring something into my neck too unintelligible to make out. A soft confession about medals never earned. An admission of a terrible deed on a distant loch’s shores. His thumb caressing the scar tissue of my left eye after he’d asked to see underneath.

It was that moment where I stopped trying. Trying to articulate what we were was like describing colors to a blind man; fruitless, time better spent by both of you elsewhere. So instead of words, I used the colors themselves:

His eyes were ocean blue, pulling me in, capturing like a riptide that’d never let go.

My lips were bloodstained red the first time we met, split from where he’d punched me, and ripped open more when we laughed about it later.

We were both purple and bruised, injured from new fights as well as old, and I slid my hands around the back of his neck and pulled him toward me.

He didn’t react at first. But that was short lived, because when a second ticked by, then two, the hand that still hung near my eye dropped to my shirt and dragged me even closer, his mouth rushing to meet mine as we finally blended our yet-unspoilt hues.

A bruise has a lot of color to it. Practically a splattered canvas with yellows and greens and oranges poking through, but the purple spreads out the furthest. Warm when you press down too hard.

That’s what it was bringing out lips together: pressing on a bruise that had been blooming between us for ages.

[kieranfm]

𝐍𝐄𝐖  𝐘𝐎𝐑𝐊  ,  𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍'𝐒  𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋  𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌  ;  𝘵𝘩𝘦  𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦  𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴  𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴  𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬   ››   𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍  +  𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍 

there  was  no  way  to  get  out  of  his  head  .  he  was  stuck  in  an  endless  loop  .  stuck  hearing  her  words  ,  spoken  & unspoken  ,  on  an  endless  loop   ;  i  don’t  TRUST  you .  .  . i  t’ink  space  would  be  good  for  us  .  .  .  you’re  nothing  like  them ;  you’re  WORSE .  it  was  deafening  .  he  couldn’t  think  .  he  couldn’t  BREATH  .  he’d  gone  so  long  without  the  weight  of  the  world  on  his  shoulders  he’d  forgotten  what  it  felt  like  .  he’d  forgotten  how  much  energy  it  took  to  simply  get  through  the  day  .  how  exhaustion  from  a  sleepless  night  due  to  a  SHOW  was  completely  different  to  the  exhaustion  a  sleepless  night  spent  waking  up  in  a  cold  sweat  was  .  how  the  guilt  ate  him  alive  knowing  that  EVERYONE  around  him  was  walking  on  eggshells  —  scared  to  do ��or  say  something  that  might  push  him  over  the  edge  .  he  was  a  ticking  bomb  &  everyone  knew  it  the  minute  they’d  found  the  boy  that  NEVER  cried  on  the  floor  of  a  dressing  room  .  cheeks  slick  with  tears &  a  phone  grasped  in  hand  ;

“  what  happened  ?  ” his  answer  came  in  the  form  of  a  deafening  silence  .   “  kieran  —  ” he  flinched  the  moment  he  felt  conan’s  hand  on  his  shoulder  .  the first  movement  he’d  made  in  the  past .  .  . what  ?  how  long  HAD          he  been  sitting  there  ?  his  body  felt  stiff  .  his  limbs  were  heavy   as  if  he  was  moving  in  slow-motion  .  but  they  were  anything  but  ,  the  look  on  conan’s  face  told  him  enough  .  the  wide-eyed  gaze  —     brown  eyes  lit  by  worry & a  silent  apology  that  came  with  the  raising  of  both  his  hands  —  the  shifting  back  as  he  gave  the  space  he  hadn’t  had  to  think  about  in  years  .   “  i’m  sorry  —  ” the  apology  twisted  something  inside  of  him  , “  don’t  .  ” 

he  hadn’t  wanted  their  sympathy  then  & he  didn’t  need  it  now  .  this  was  HIS  fault  .   he’d  let  himself  believe  that  things  changed  .  that  a  last  name  didn’t  dictate  the  path  you  took  in  life  .  but  no  matter  HOW  much  he  wanted  to  deny  it  ,  there  was  more  of  his  father  in  him  than  he  ever  wanted  to  admit  there  being  .  &  it  had  only  been  a  matter  of  time  before  others  begun  to  realise  .  he  couldn’t  blame  evan  for  wanting  nothing  to  do  with  him  .  he  might  not  have  done  what  she’d  thought he’d  done  ;  CHEATED  ON  HER  .  but  maybe  what  he  HAD  done  was  worse  ;  he’d  ignored  her  worries  &  used  them  as  a  joke  .  he’d  kept  things  from  her  because  he  thought  he  knew  better  .  he’d  let  space  for  her  to  think  it  was  possible  for  him  to  cheat  creep  in  .  he’d  hurt  her  to  the  point  of  her  believing  that  he  didn’t  think  she  was  enough  for  him  —  as  if  that  was  even  POSSIBLE  .  he’d  made  her  not  trust  him  .  .  . he  deserved  everything  but  the  kindness  of  others  .   the  ONLY  good  thing  to  come  from  all  of  this  was  the  fact  that  bex  had  finally  backed  off  .  &  whether  that  was  because  she  knew  keeping  her  distance  was  for  the  better  or everyone  else around  him  knew  it  ,  he  didn’t  care  .  he  didn’t  CARE  what  bex  was  doing  ,  he  never  had  .  all  he  cared  about  was  the  fact  he'd  let  her  break  the  best  thing  in  his  life & he'd  done  NOTHING  to  stop  it  .  he  was  the  reason  why  twelve  years  together  had  ended  .  he  was  the  reason  why  a  tour  that  had  started  off  as  a  dream  had  turned  into  a  NIGHTMARE  .

maybe  if  he’d  been  able  to  separate  himself  —  to  compartmentalise  the  torrent  of  disquiet  that  clawed  at  him  &  made  it  impossible  to  breath  —  he  could  have  focused  on  the  music  he  played  every  night  .  lost  himself  in  a  crowd  that  still  ,  no  matter  WHAT  was  going  on  behind  the  scenes  ,  sung  back  every  lyric  he’d  written  .  but  when  those  lyrics  brought  a  pair  of  blue  eyes  tainted  by  hurt  &  GLINTING  like  the  edge  of  a  sharpened  blade  &  a  reminder  that  he  wasn’t  the  person  the  crowd  thought  he  was .  .  . he  couldn't  stomach  it  .  the  stage  had  once  been  his  sanctuary  .  but  now  it  was  a  reminder  of  EVERYTHING  he’d  broken  ,  of  EVERYTHING  he'd  lost  .  he’d  tried  so  HARD  to  be  everything  his  father  wasn’t  .  but  when  everything  was  stripped  back  ,  when  he  was  down  to  his  barebones  ,  the  truth  came  out  .  he  was  just  as  weak  as  him  .  because  the  ONLY  way  any  of  this  felt  survivable  ,  the  only  way  he  could  keep  going  up  on  that  stage  every  night  was  because  of  a  bottom  of  an  empty  bottle  .  he’d  tried  to  rationalise  it  ; he  was  ONLY  drinking  enough  to  take  the  edge  off  .  never  enough  to  lose  complete  control  .  never  enough  to  not  REMEMBER  when  he  got  up  in  the  morning  .  but  the  matter  of  the  fact  was  ,  anything  was  too  much  .  evan  deserved  better  . mikey  deserved  better  .  the  boys  deserved  better  .  their  fans  deserved  better  .  EVERYONE  deserved  better  .  but  no  matter  the  guilt  that  pulled  at  him  every  time  he  reached  for  a  bottle  ,  &  the  warmth  that  came  with  ,  it  settled  him  .  it  quietened  the  constant  noise  in  his  head  .  it  made  singing  lyrics  written  for  her  MANAGEABLE  .  it  made  everything  manageable  .  because  without  it .  .  . without  it  he  had  to  face  what  was  eating  him  from  the  inside  out  .

but  sometimes  those  few  drinks  ,  downed  as  conan &  mikey  watched  on  with  vigilant  worry  ,  weren’t  enough  .  sometimes  those  few  drinks  turned  into  one  too  many  in  hopes  it  would  drown  the  pain  in  his  chest  .  it  had  been  how  he'd  snapped  at  mikey  when  he'd  only  been  trying  to  help  ,  a  memory  that  only  merged  into  those  he’d  collected  in  the  past  few  days  that  turned  his  stomach  .  &  how  he'd  ended  up  calling  evan  .  only  .  .  . it  hadn’t  been  evan  .  ELOISE had  picked  up  .  he'd  braced  himself  for  the  inevitable  .  because  even  though  evan  could  joke  that  she  liked  kieran  better  ,  evan  was  her  DAUGHTER  .  &  he'd  HURT  her  & just  as  he  couldn’t  blame  evan  ,  he  wouldn’t  have  blamed  eloise  for  HATING  him  .  but  she  hadn't  .  somehow  she  didn’t  .  somehow  she  was  STILL  giving  him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  .  somehow  she  was  still  offering  him  a  hand  to  help  him  out  of  the  darkness  .  because  unlike  those  around  him  ,  he  didn’t  care  about  HIM  .  EVAN  was  the  only  person  he  cared  about  &  eloise  was  the  closest  thing  to  her  he  could  get  right  now  . &  if  she  didn’t  hate  him  ,  if  she  could  still  say  i  love  you before  she  hung  up  ,  maybe  there  was  still  SOME  hope  to  hold  onto  .  hope  that  the  space  between  them  wouldn’t  be  forever  .  hope  that  they  could  figure  all  this  out  .  hope  that  evan  hadn’t  lost  ALL  faith  in  him  ,  even  if  he  had  lost  it  in  himself  .  calling  had  been  a  MISTAKE  .  but  as  he’d  set  his  phone  down  it  had  been  the  first  breath  he'd  been  able  to  take  in  three  days  .  it  had  been  the  first  time  he’d  been  able  to  get  some  sleep  .  it  had  been  the  first  time  he’d  stuck  to  the  single  beer  balanced  on  a  speaker  on  stage  .  he’d  made  mistakes  but    ,  just  as  there  was  more  to  the  photos  ,  there  was  MORE  to  the  story  of  why  evan  had  shut  him  out  without  letting  him  get  a  single  word  in  .  he  just  hoped  that  ONE  DAY  they’d  get  the  chance  to  tell  each  other  .

kieran  didn’t  know  how  many  times  he  had  to  tell  them  he  was  OKAY  .  granted  ,  the  past  three  days  he'd  be  anything  BUT  okay  .  &  maybe  ,  in  reality  ,  he  wasn’t  okay  .  but  he  wasn’t  going  to  do  something  idiotic  if  they  left  him  alone  .  even  he  WANTED  to  mikey  had  cleared  out  the  mini-bar  of  all  alcohol  in  his  room  after  that  first  night  &  there  was  no  doubt  a  blacklist  that  had  his  name  on  it  down  at  room service  saying  do  not  serve  alcohol  .  he  was  OKAY  .  they  could  leave  him  for  a  single  night  .  they  DESERVED  it  as  far  as  he  was  concerned  .  they  deserved  a  night  away  from  him  .  because  no  matter  how  much  they  loved  him  ,  no  matter  how  much  they  wanted  to  HELP  ,  it  was  draining  .  he  could  see  it  on  their  faces  .  the  dark  circles  under  their  eyes  may  not  have  been  as  deep  as  his  &  the  hollows  of  their  cheeks  might  have  been  a  bit  rounder ,  but  the  past  three  days  had  taken  a  toll  on  ALL  of  them  .  they  needed  a  break  ,  &  a  night  out  in  new  york  city  could  be  exactly  what  was  needed  .  so  he’d  waved  them  off  down  the  hall ,  slipped  a  do  not  disturb sign  onto  the  doorknob &  washed  off  the  remainder  of  a  show  that  felt  a  little  more  normal  to  get  into  comfier  sweats  &  a  crumpled  white  tee  swept  up  from  the  floor  .  he  couldn’t  let  himself  sit  in  silence  ,  the  lack  of  alcohol  in  his  veins  made  the  voices  in  his  head  that  bit  louder  than  usual ,  so  the  low  hum & flickering  of  the  tv  in  the  dark  of  his  hotel  room  was  the  next  best  thing  .  even  if  he  caught  himself  scrolling  somewhere  he  never  usually  found  himself  an  hour  or  so  into  a  movie  picked  at  random  .  he  usually  avoided  social  media  with  a  6ft  pole  &  maybe  he  should  have  kept  that  up  after  the  story  that  had  blown  apart  his  life  had  dropped  six  days  ago  .  but  he’d  wanted  to  know  what  people  were  saying  .  there  was  no  CLEAR  consensus  ; he  was  a  cheating  asshole  - he  would  never  do  that  to  evan  -  evan  didn’t  deserve  him -  anyone  could  see  how  happy  he  was  with  evan -  bex  was  the  better  choice - bex  was  a  social  climber  that  just  wanted  him  for  his  success .  .  .  he  hadn't  posted  or  done  anything  since  the  story  &  photos  had  dropped  .  but  as  his  eyes  focused  upon  a  tweet  defending  evan  ,  his  finger  lifted  .  what  if  he  just  did  this  ONE  thing  ?  it  wasn’t  much  but  he  was  certain  HIM  liking  a  tweet  from  a  the  found  fanpage  would  be  enough  to  cause  a  bit  of  a  stir  .  the  pad  of  his  pointer  finger   was  millimetres  from  pressed  the  small  heart  but  as  a  knock  echoed  around  his  room  his  attention  snapped  away  from  the  screen  of  his  phone  .  finger  dropping  from  what  would  likely  have  been  a  mistake  .  did  they  not  see  the  do  not  disturb  sign  on  his  door ?  he  waited  for  another  to  come  ,  but  as  a  few  moments  passed  with  only  the  muffled  words  of  the  movie  filling  the  room  ,  he  looked  back  at  his  phone  .  knock  ,  knock  .  he  let  out  a  breath  as  his  phone  fell  to  his  chest  .  hand  lifting  up  to  run  through  messy  curls  that  fell  over  his  forehead  as  his  eyes  .  maybe  if  he  just  left  it  ,  they’d  leave  .  but  as  another  moment  passed  ,  a  knock  &  then  another  louder  than  before  came  .  his  eyes  rolled  .  no  hotel  worker  would  knock  like  that  .  it  HAD  to  be  conan  or  mikey  .  &  as  another  set  of  knocks  came  he  his  hands  rub  over  his  face  before  it  fell  to  his  side  ,  but  there  was  no  pause  this  time  .  his  jaw  clenched  as  he  sat  up  ,  eyes  turning  towards  the  door  as  another  knock  sounded  .  “  i  t’ought  i  told  you  t'  FUCK  OFF  .  ”  his  voice  crept  up   in   volume  as  irritation  bubbled in  his  stomach  .  did  EVERYONE  trust  him  so  little  ?  again  ,  the  only  sound  that  filled  his  room  was  the sound  of  the  movie  playing  in  the  background  as  he  waited  .  &  for  a  brief  moment  ,  he  thought  they  had  left  .  but  within  seconds  of  lowering  himself  back  down  onto  the  bed  ,  the  knocking  started  back  up  .  “  jesus  fucking  christ  .  ”  he  swore  as  he  pushed  himself  off  the  bed  ,  “  why  t’e  fuck  doesn't  no  one  fucking  TRUST  me  —  ”  he  wasn’t  shy  about  letting  his  voice  ring  out  towards  the  door  as  he  rounded  the  bottom  of  his  bed  ,  tossing  his  phone  to  the  side  ,  “  i  told  you  t'  fucking  GO  —-  you  don’t  need  t'  bloody  check  up  on  me  every  fucking  second  —- i'm  not  going  t'  fucking  OFF  myself  —- ”  it  was  huffed  all  the  way  to  the  door  &  as  his  fingers  curled  around  the  door  handle  ,  “  so  just  fuck  o  —  ”  but  as  he  pulled  open  the  door  his  words  cut  off  instantly  .  it  wasn’t  conan  .  it  wasn't  mikey  .  it  was  EVAN  .  he  felt  his  heart  stop  in  his  chest  .  he  felt  the  anger  slip  from  his  features  . it  was  evan  .  he  blinked  once  ,  twice  ,  three  times  ,  but  no  matter  how  many  times  he  blinked  she  was  still  there  .   it  wasn't  his  mind  playing  tricks  on  him  .  she  was  right  in  front  of  him  .  a  crease  had  appeared  between  his  brows  as  his  eyes  flittered  urgently  over  her   lips  parted  , “  you  —  ”  he  started  but  faltered  as  his  gaze  settled  on  her  .  she  was  here  .  “  what  are  you  —  ”  he  swallowed  before  he  took  in  a  breath  ,  trying  to  calm  the  racing  in  his  mind  that  had  kicked  started  at  a  whole  new  level  .  she  was  here  .  surely  at  that  moment  in  time  that  was  ALL  that  mattered  .  “  i  —  evan  .  ”  her  name  felt  like  a  dream  on  his  lips  .  she  was  here  .  his  eyes  flickered  over  her  for  another  second  before  his  hand  shifted  on  the  door  as  he  took  a  step  to  the  side  ,  pushing  the  door  open  a  little  more  &  giving  her  space just  in  case  she  wanted  to  slip  in  without  a  single  word .

[darksaiyangoku]

RWBY: The Official Manga Review

Back in November of 2018, it was announced by Viz Media that Rooster Teeth’s hit show, RWBY, would be getting a manga adaptation published by Shueisha.

This sounded like great news at the time. I mean, a manga adaptation of RWBY being published by Shueisha, creators of Shonen classics such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Hunter x Hunter? What part of that does not sound awesome?!

Now this isn’t the first time that RWBY had manga series, mind you. There was of course the manga written and illustrated by Shirow Miwa that was released in 2015 and the Manga Anthology collection in 2017.

But this manga was different from the others. Instead of being a spin off or a side story, it was an adaptation of RWBY itself, taking the story of the show and retelling it as a manga. Aside from anime, manga and comics are my favourite mediums of entertainment, so naturally this was something that I was very much looking forward to, even if I was pretty new to RWBY at the time.

The series was written and illustrated by Bunta Kinami and had a monthly release schedule, concluding in June of this year at 19 chapters total. Instead of reviewing this volume by volume, I’m going to be reviewing the whole thing. Without further ado, let’s get right into it. Here is my review of RWBY: The Official Manga.

Plot

Similar to the show, the manga opens up with notorious criminal, Roman Torchwick, robbing a Dust Shop in the middle of the night. It’s with the timely intervention of aspiring Huntress, Ruby Rose, that he’s thwarted. After an interrogation from the Professors of Beacon Academy, Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch, Ruby finds herself being admitted to the Huntsman Academy, much to her surprise. Together with her half-sister Yang Xiao Long, heiress Weiss Schnee and the mysterious Blake Belladonna, they form the Huntress group Team RWBY!

For the most part, it is a straight adaptation and retailing of the RWBY anime. It follows very similar story beats, such as the entrance exam, Blake’s revelation as a Faunus, meeting Sun and Penny, the revelation that Roman was working with Cinder, the infiltration of the school dance and the breach of Vale. With this new retelling, there was also the possibility of expanding on the source material and putting a cool new spin on a beloved series. Surely the writer would take advantage of that, right?

Well, no. He doesn’t. Not only is there very little in adding anything new to the story, but there’s a lot of things that have been either heavily condensed or flat out removed entirely. It’s almost as if Bunta goes out of his way to cut content. These aren’t just little moments either, a lot of what’s gone are plot points that are essential to the overarching story, making this adaptation feel hollow. It isn’t just the story that suffers, but so do the characters.

Characters

Team RWBY

Team RWBY come across as bizarro versions compared to their anime counterparts. For example, Ruby isn’t the cheery, optimistic aspiring hero that she is canon. Instead, she comes across more serious and sullen, but without any of the charm. Weiss is portrayed as nicer compared to canon. While this might seem like a good thing, I actually think it hurts her character development, where she starts out as fairly unlikeable but gradually becomes a better person, throwing away her shameful old prejudices. Blake seems less of a character here, having a lot of her endearing quirks completely removed. My least favourite, however, is what happened to Yang. Much of her personality is downplayed, to the point where I can’t even call her same character anymore. She doesn’t have that loveable “party girl” vibe alongside being the cool big sister. If that wasn’t bad enough, her backstory and motivation are also downplayed, which was essential in not only establishing and developing her and Blake’s friendship, but it also removes a key plot point for the Mistral Arc, which was the revelation of who Raven was and what she was doing all this time.

Team JNPR

Oh god, no characters have suffered more than Team JNPR. Their roles are severely downplayed, to the point where I’m questioning why they were even added to the manga in the first place. Ruby and Jaune’s friendship is almost non-existent, Ren and Nora’s fin shenanigans are gone and Pyrrha isn’t treated as a big celebrity athlete. Instead, she’s just another student. Such a waste.

Penny, Sun and Neptune

Penny doesn’t have any of the fun, cute quirks that she has in canon. Instead, she’s more desperate to be accepted and pushy wanting friends. As for Sun and Neptune? For the most part, they’re kept intact and there are few extended bits of dialogue they have, but that’s about it.

Roman Torchwick

All of the wit and humour from the canon is gone from this version of Roman Torchwick and he’s instead a cold, callous and sometimes downright psychotic. While that would normally sound right up my alley, there was nothing wrong with how Torchwick originally was! He was a fan favourite because of his wit and humour and that didn’t make him any less of a credible threat. Here, he acts more like Cinder, which is weird considering she is in this manga! Just... why?

Artwork

I’ll be blunt here, I don’t like the artwork here at all. A lot of it looks like it’s unfinished, especially the backgrounds and a lot of the characters look dangerously thin. I don’t know what kind of style Kinami was trying to go for, but it just doesn’t work. It doesn’t feel vibrant or colourful, it feels like a ghost, a shell of its former self.

Verdict

Overall, this is a very, VERY poor adaptation of RWBY. All of the charm, fun, heart and soul that made me fall in love with the original is nowhere to be found in this manga. Most of the cast have great personality shifts or have many of their signature characteristics downplayed, essential plot points that develop both the story and characters have been cut, the artwork is half-baked and there’s a real lack of effort put into this project. From what it looks like, it seems that Miles and Kerry had little to no involvement with this and gave Bunta free reign. With all that power, he decided to strip RWBY of its core and reduce it to something barebones and soulless. Some of you might be wondering if there is anything good in here and I will admit that there are two moments that I liked; Weiss actually apologising to Blake and Sun and Neptune taking a more active role in the fight against the Paladin. Other than that, there are absolutely no redeeming qualities to this adaptation. If you want RWBY manga, stick to either Shirow Miwa’s version or the anthologies.

Final score: 2/10