#it's well written and a good story obv

[gildeddlily]

my something flag is that, as a seasoned marauders fan, I've never read All The Young Dudes. I tried to, finished half the thing, then got bored and stopped. just like that. and now I can't stop seeing videos or posts talking ab it while i'm just there being pretty and voluntarily ignorant

[sanasanakun]

Jimithon Mouthwashing is such a good representation of untreated, enabled NPD like it makes me want to squeeze the life out of him. I'm endlessly fascinated when watching him interact with his crew, surroundings, and himself because he's so fucking lost in his own sauce. It's insane. If I'm being real, it makes him my favorite character in the game.

It's a little scary to say, but watching Jimmy is like seeing a mirrored version of myself two years ago before I truly committed to treatment for my NPD. He's like a shadow. The opening line "I hope this hurts," which I believe comes from Jimmy right before the crash, is such a poignant statement. It's a simple line, but I can tell you from experience that the desire to hurt others when in a narcissistic rage is overwhelming. It's such a good line to sum up Jimmy's character in that moment. Luckily, in the real world, I had my friends and family there to catch me when I hit my lowest, even though I'd hurt them so many times. Jimmy probably could've used friends to force him into therapy (cough cough Curly cough cough)

[art--harridan]

[Image description: A digital drawing of the character Billy Kid from the film Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire. He's wearing the outfit he wears for the grudge match, but sans the suit jacket. His pose is unconfident, knees together and one slightly bent. He hunched over slightly, loosely holding a snooker cue. There's a sheepish grin on his faces as he gazes off into the distance, noticeably sweating. There's a snooker table behind him, it's perspective warped. Above it, there's a fringed lamp that gives off a pale yellow light. The rest of the room is in shadow. All of the colours in the piece are warm but this makes the yellow light and green baize feel sickly. The lineart is starkly dark, with exaggerated shadows.]

Inktober - Day 16 (Grungy)

Film - Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire (Alan Clarke, 1985)

[harrowscore]

wow, mockingjay was. much more violent and gory than i remembered

[chooey]

just finished breaking bad

[will80sbyers]

when I listen to interviews of the Duffers or other writers they always think like I would about media stuff and the show and it's one of the things that made me believe they were really doing it at the beginning, it gave me more trust in them as professional writers because they seemed to understand how good stories should be(obv), like when Matt was offended that Millie thought Brenner was all good (I don't remember the exact context now) and he said something like "he wanted to force you to kill the cat" or when they were saying to Finn that everyone regardless of age can like to play DND, or when they talked about how and why they would kill a character or not... and all these little things they say in interviews, every time they talk about the story it checks out with my understanding of the story and how I would go about most things, and this is valid for other writers too... so with that in mind I really could never believe that they truly think Mike and El are well written as a couple that should stay together, it just goes against all logic in a "too much in your face to be casual and just bad writing" way 🤷

[what-eats-owls]

Hello! I'm a fan of Tangled and its spinoff series, and I'm curious about your upcoming book "Rootbound."

It sounds like it explores many of the same plot elements that Tangled the Series did (ie Eugene's identity/past, understanding Rapunzel's Sundrop powers, and traveling to a mysterious kingdom). I really like that it also focuses on the awkward phase of personal growth that comes after escaping an abusive situation/surviving severe trauma. (I'm in that phase right now, and I'd really like to see Rapunzel get the chance to work through it herself.)

I was wondering if you could go into more detail about your vision for Rootbound in relation to Tangled the Series. Do you see the book as "your version" of the series (meaning it's what you would have written if you were in charged of the show's plot)? Or do you think of it as a continuation of the movie that's completely different/separate from TTS?

(If you explained this already, I may not have understood due to my Autism. I'm genuinely curious to know what your perspective is tho!)

Hi friend! If this sounds short at all, I promise it's not because I'm upset, haha—I just want to be really clear so readers have the right expectations going into Rootbound! (While also not getting too deep into the fifty pages of publishing context.)

Your second option, that it's more of a continuation of the original movie and separate from TTS, is pretty much right on the money. The one thing I'd like to clarify is that I wouldn't call it solely my vision/version! When I was approached for the project, the lovely folks in charge had an early seed concept for the story, and from that, I was able to build a more detailed outline, and once that was approved, draft the manuscript. This is pretty normal for when you're working with another entity's IP!

That initial seed concept directly followed the original film, but did not draw on any characters/plot/lore introduced in TTS, and explored different takes on some things TTS covers, such as Eugene's history. Now obvs, I'm not an official spokesperson here, but my view on it is that Rootbound is only as canon as you want it to be. TBH, I think that's the better approach—the TTS fandom is enormous and passionate, and I'd rather not tinker with a story already told so well.

(And if anyone's worried that Rootbound will be the basis for a sequel film... let's just say for multiple reasons, no one would be more surprised than I, haha.)

So tl;dr: characters and lore from TTS are not part of Rootbound, I think that's a good thing (why mess with perfection?), I hope y'all enjoy my spin on things while knowing TTS isn't going anywhere.

[hey-august]

Cus saying something about rollercoasters gave me an idea.

What do you think buggy is like if he wants to take his partner to like a fair or theme park or something of the sort. Cus, obv he would. But they're way too afraid to get on most of the rides?

He may tease, sure. That's got to be a given, no? But seeing the terrified look your face after he'd somehow coaxed you into let's say the Ferris wheel? He's holding your hand, telling you it's okay. Describing the pretty lights and stunning view as you slowly get to the top. And while it's stopped all the way up high, you actually look out. Able to relax a bit. It's not so bad. It's pretty, actually. But heights are still terrifying.

Or maybe it's a rollercoaster he had to coax you onto. "Just try it once!"

And maybe he'd regret it just a little. The constant scream right next to him. Absolute death grip on his hand.

Getting on and starting to go up was one thing. The second it sped up just a hair to get to the top is when the screaming started, the tight hold on his hand. Then the screaming got louder as it sped downwards and your hand kept one hell of a death grip on his hand. The only time the screams stopped was so you could take a breath to continue screaming. Once the ride was over though he led you to a nearby bench until you could relax.

Or maybe those teacup rides. Only scared to get on it because.. Well it's buggy. And most people you've been on that type of ride would spin it way too fast and scare the ever loving hell out of you. But he's already dragged you on enough rides and this was one you liked. So he did spin it, but made sure you were okay with the speed. Laughing and spinning it together, enjoying the more peaceful ride.

Though you two did get on it again just to go as fast as possible. Laughing and clinging onto the seat.

I feel like he'd also want to win you a prize. *Of course* it had to be one that was so fucking stupidly hard to get. But he wanted to see you smile, he always did. So he tried. And tried again. And again. And..one more time. *damnit* why was it so difficult? But the second the person who was in charge if the game became distracted with something, even for a mere second, he cheated. Hey, he wanted to get you that prize. And it so happens he can detach limbs. His hand reattaching before anyone can see of course.

Is some of this based on personal experience? Yes. I can't stand rollercoasters, they scare the shit out of me.

My personal story with my first rollercoaster was at Kentucky kingdom. Lightning run. My mother fucking counted. (Yk the count to 3) Just to get my ass on a rollercoaster. I was terrified okay? But, yes, the death grip and screaming was what I did. That was her karma. My loud ass screaming in her ear (I was on her left) and one hell of a death grip. She might have lost a little blood flow for the time being. But she never dragged me on a rollercoaster again. And she never will be able to again.

(I have written more than intended but ideas keep coming)

Heck yes! Buggy would be a MENACE with this. Taunting and goading you into going on the thrilling rides.

PUH-LEASE, only weenies skip the big rides. What's the point in going if you're not gonna ride Mr. Bones' Wild Ride? (okay, maybe skip that one)

Buggy also talks up how the rides aren't even that scary. You eventually give in because:

maybe he's right,

you don't want to miss out on a good ride,

he seems so excited, and

he's getting annoying.

Yeah, the ferris wheel wasn't terrible. A little more shaky that you expected and very high up. But you got to sit next to Buggy. He even bought (stole) you a corndog to enjoy. He ate most of it.

The roller coaster though. Buggy thought he won (what exactly? who knows) when you agreed to go, but a little worm of regret started wiggling when the car reached the apex. Buggy said it was like climbing the ship's rigging on rough waters, but this...did not feel the same. Or maybe it did and he forgot how intense that feels. Both of you had white knuckle grips on the safety bar the whole time.

The tea cup ride was fine. Better. Really nice, actually. Even when it spun wildly, you still enjoyed it. It was less of a competition and more of a cooperative sport to spin the tea cup juuuuust right. Buggy also showed off by using his hands to spin the cup while he leaned back, handless-arms behind his head.

And BIG AGREE to Buggy stealing prizes. He also cheats. A barely-noticeable fingertip knocking over bottles, nudging balls, guiding hoops. He's schmoozing with the game attendees, distracting them from all the other shady shit he's doing. Meanwhile, you stand slightly off to the side and grab whatever Buggy hands you.

Do you need a giant plush sleepy banana? Or five bunny keychains? Or more than three lanyards? Or a frog bucket hat that doesn't fit? Or a bear bucket hat that doesn't fit? Or a cat bucket hat that doesn't fit?

No. But you take them anyways.

---

I'm also right there with ya with some un-fun ride stories, cyra. 😂 Once when I was a younger kid, I CRIED on the queue for Space Mountain. SOBBING. I was scared but we were going to go on the ride. And then the HORROR - I was supposed to sit at the front. Absolutely not. Thankfully, some older teens took pity and sat in the front.

I got on the ride, continued to cry, and shrunk myself so low that my head knocked on the sides of the ride during sharp turns. It was not ideal.

On a lighter note, there was a time where I was on one of those spinning Gravitron rides. The UFO shaped one. And the ride operator would slow down the spinning and then start it right back up. They said we were almost done more than once but everything kept spinningggg. We were hostages in the UFO and it felt like forever. Honestly, I loved it but omg I felt like I was outside of my body afterwards. I was not the same person.

[mithrilhearts]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Look at me getting to this 500 years later (I'm so sorry!!) Anyway.

Thank you both so much, @cilil & @laurfilijames for sending me this ask game thingy!! I figured I'd just do it in one post, so I hope that's okay, but here we go!

I think picking my "favorite fics" of mine is like, asking a parent to pick their favorite child - not easy, in most cases I guess lol...but I will do my best and explain why! These are all based off of fics I've COMPLETED, and by no means reflects on my love and affection for the other stories I've written. I love them all for their own reasons, otherwise I wouldn't have written them.

In no particular order...

May Your Forge Burn Bright - This is THE original longfic from me. I started this back when I was creeping my way out of RP and into fanfiction, and was nothing more than an independent baby writer. (Been writing a long time, just never like this), and the story means so much to me, as well as the commentary from readers along the way. It's still my longest fic to date, and I love a good "alternate first meeting" fic. It's the OG, and you can't replace that.

Dragonhearted - The Hobbit & Beauty and The Beast are my two FAVORITE stories, and mashing them together like this was perfect for me. Dragon!Thorin is such a fun concept for me, and badass Bilbo is another. This setting just WORKS. (Also, did you know @i-did-not-mean-to had a BLANKET made for this fic???)

Kurdu 'abadaz - That's right, I finished this one just recently, and it has easily stolen my heart to being a favorite. The Fix-it fic that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to write, that went under a LOT of rehashing and had a huge overhaul in the story early on when planning. It turned out so much better than anticipated, and the love for this fic from readers/friends has been overwhelming.

Fuck Thy Neighbor - A VERY FUN ROM-COM STYLE MODERN AU!!! This really had me cackling the entire way through, and like a few other fics of mine, it spawned from a writer's ask game/tag game thing that I can't quite remember. Accidental marriage & neighbors? I love it. It's so funny, and I enjoy rereading it frequently for the laughs.

When Darkness Shines Brightest - Did you know that anything can be made into a Bagginshield Fic? Did you know that this fic spawned from a joke/conversation between @starthecozy and I and then erupted into this really original Hades/Persephone, Nightmare Before Xmas, blended style fic?? Various worlds and environments, powers over elements, and saving homes from a dragon?? The Onion Fic sprouted, and blossomed into one of my favorite stories, and I got to collaborate with Star the entire way through it, and we had SO MUCH FUN!!! Go give it a read, it's really neat!!

Honorable Mentions:

(Take Me Back To) The Night We Met - My entry for THAUC22 (partnered with the amazing @consultingpacha), and one of my FAVORITE concepts. Yet again, another "alternate meeting" style fic, featuring small kids Fili and Kili, rather than adults. What it sets up to at the end of the fic blends into the OG Hobbit story, but with a few small changes that I kind of want to explore one day in a sequel. 👀

Between Vices and Virtues - My entry for TRSB22 (partnered with @mysandwichranaway!!) First of all, I love working with Sandy, it's truly one of my favorite things on this good planet, and I can't wait to do it again - hopefully soon. Secondly, this was my take at a modern royalty AU, and learning about how to connect with the people around you. I have two sequels planned for this universe (even if this fic kind of felt like a let-down in terms of reception? but idc about that lmao) it was so fun for me. A light dusting of magic superstition in a modern au setting? Sign me up!

[hyperfixatedoncrimminalminds]

So I accidentally deleted this request but I have written it so sorry to whoever wrote it.

Request : Okok, Teen!Male!reader x Spencer Ried (platonic obvs) when reader ends up getting mixed up a crime/murder in the drug scene. They aren't the unsub but they struggle with addiction and has an ally cat type attitude so it makes it difficult to get any information out of him. Spencer is like a father figure and they start to get close, helping reader through out the case/ recovery.

I love this idea

Third person pov...

Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan arrive on scene, there is a serial killer runnng around kidnapping upstanding people then killing people by overdosing them on different drugs.

The latest victim was a mother with two children under the ages of 10, with no history of drug use she is currently the 5th victim, where they found her was in a dumpster in ohio.

"Looks like the rest of the victims" Says Derek as he kneels next to the body of Samantha Doyle. Spencer nods and looks around the scene. "As well as the dump site, he threw her away like trash." He says, as he looks he notices a boy looking no older then 15 being talked to by the police.

Confused Spence leaves Morgan and walks over to one of the police officers. "Hey excuse me, whats he doing here?" He asks nodding over at the boy and officer.

The office next to him looks over. "Oh yeah him, he's been hanging around sayin' he saw something. Don't bother with 'im he's an addict got loads of them here" he tells the agent, Spencer thanks the man but doesn't take his eyes of the teen.

The officer just sighs and leaves the boy, he was watching with intense curiosity. The boy had messy hair and dark circles under his eyes, giving the impression of a troubled soul.

Spencer's mind immediately went into profiling mode, trying to figure out the boy's story, he walked over to the boy and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid. And you are?"

The young man shrugged his shoulders tapping his hand nervously. "Y/N" he says bearly over a mumble but Spencer hears him. "Well Y/N, did you see anything here?" He asked.

The young detective immediately noticed the troubled look in (Y/n)'s eyes, and he could see the fear and guilt written all over his face.

Spencer's empathetic nature kicked in, and he knew that there was more to this young man than meets the eye.

(Y/n) was like a wounded alley cat, always on edge and unwilling to trust anyone. The 15 year old didn't say anything. "How about you come to the station to talk" Says the genius.

Y/N thinks before nodding, either way they were going to make him talk might as well get it over with, soon the boy is sat in the back of thr SUV with two Agents.

They try and talk to him more but only get a few words out bef they take him to the interrogation room to talk, as Y/N sits and waits he thinks over his life.

He's been hooked on drugs since he was 12 when he was 10 his Mother died leaving him with his abusive Father, he would kick little Y/N around all day until the boy finally turned to drugs to dull the pain.

It's worked all those years and he's hooked, finally when he was 14 he ran away and had beeb living on the streets, pick pocketing people who walk past him.

He met many different people throughout the last year, not many of them were nice most were arsehole and criminals, but last night traumatised him.

He was in his usual place counting the money he managed to pick pocket of some people, when he heard something. He saw a guy dressed in dark clothes throughing something in the dumpster.

Y/N didn't bother with it, but he got curious and stuck behind a dumpster and got a pretty good look at what was happening, his E/C eyes widened in shock.

It was a body, the man was throwing her into the dumpster, Y/N ducks into the darkness when the guy turns around, he gets a good look at his face before he leaves in a truck.

It was to dark to see the number plate, Y/N walks closer to the body, her lifeless eyes stare into his dark tired ones, she looked alot like his Mother.

Shivering he closed her eyes and left to go back to his place where he sleeps and tried to forget what he saw.

The door to the room opens bringing the teen back into the real world, Spencer had told everyone to stay there thay he would handle it.

He closed the door and sat in the chair oppos the boy, Y/N wasnt ha dcuffed and coukd ove but didn't he kept sat down.

Spencer decis to take a different approach, he reaches into his pocket and takes out a pack of cards.

"Mind if I play a game of solitaire?" Spencer asked, trying to lighten the mood To his surprise, the young man slowly reached out and took the cards. As they played, Spencer asked more questions, trying to get some information about the crime and the drug scene in the area.

As he played Y/N became a little more reaced but was still on guard and keeping Spencer at arms lengt.

Y/N still didn't reveal much, but Spencer could tell he was holding back. He also noticed the subtle tremors in Y/Ns hands and the needle marks on his arm.

He soon realized that Y/N was not the unsub, but rather a lost soul struggling with addiction and trauma, this brought him back to when he was addicted to delaudid.

After a few games Y/N began opening up about what he sawast night, he told him everything he remembered, this helped the team alot tk catch the bastard.

Throughout the case Without judgment, Spencer offered to help Y/N get clean and get out of the dangerous world of drugs. With the help of Y/N the team manages to catch the killer sooner than they had hoped.

As the case progressed, Spencer and the H/C teen grew closer. They spent long nights talking and playing cards, and Spencer could see the potential in the young man. He was intelligent and quick-witted, but his addiction was holding him back.

Y/N was also hesitant to trust anyone, but he slowly opened up to Spencer, after having an awful relationship with his bio father seeing him Spencer as a father figure scared him, Spence became more invested in the teens recovery and helping him turn his life around.

With the help of the team, they were able to track down the murder suspect, Y/N even played a crucial role in gathering information, using his 'alley cat attitude' to his advantage.

As the case came to a close, Spencer and Y/N celebrated with a game of cards and a heartfelt conversation. Y/N thanked Spencer for his help and guidance, and Spencer promised to always be there for him.

From that day on, Y/N focused on his recovery with the support of his new family at the BAU. He still had his struggles, but with Spencer by his side, he knew he could overcome them.

Spencer, on the other hand, learned a valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover. Y/N may have been mixed up in the drug scene, but he was more than just an addict. He was a survivor.

The end!

Hope you liked this oneshot, slowly getting through these requests. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Request are open!

Word count: 1312

[leslutdepointedulac]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Thank you for sending this! Ngl all of my fics are my babies to some extent and I do have a couple of fics that I would love to add to here but they're not posted yet so I can't lmao. But these are some of my particular favourites that I've posted so far.

Drunken Matrimony ~ General | Louis/Lestat

This is just a really soft, fluffy little fic that has a special place in my heart. They deserve to have sweet moments like this, away from any drama and theatrics. I got cute aggression when I wrote this, it's too cute.

Hē Seirḗn ~ Explicit | Lestat/Armand & Louis

This is to date one of my all time favourite fics I've written so far. I feel like most people, if not everyone, knows that SIren Louis is my scary daughter who I love more than anything in this world. The whole concept of her was only supposed to be for this one fic, nothing special, certainly nothing that I ever planned on revisiting. But I love Siren Louis so much that I just had to bring her back again and I will continue to do so. I've even created whole entire lore surrounding my sirens because of her and it's now a fully developed universe. I could add the other siren au as well but this one started it all, hence why I went with it. Sorry, i'm rambling, I just really love my sirens lmao.

Experimentations ~ Mature | Louis/Lestat

I had a lot of fun exploring a canon compliant way to give the vampires a good time. It's good to let Louis let go and give himself over to his pleasure, I love that for him. He deserves it.

The Long Road ~ Teen and Up | Louis/Armand & Louis/Lestat

This is a fic that comes from my fanon theory as to how and why Louis ends up at Trinity Gate. I've thought about this an awful lot and it's really sad. I definitely upset myself while writing this but I felt the need to get it out there, so here it is. It's a fic that I hold very close to my heart, I love it a lot, even though it gives me the morbs to dwell on.

Treasured Finds ~ General (currently) | Louis/Lestat/Armand

So this fic is a multi-chapter fic and is still being updated, but I thought I'd add it here because I'm obsessed with it. Kinda like with my siren au, this wasn't supposed to become a Whole Entire Thing, but the story I want to tell with this wouldn't fit into the 4-5k words that I originally intended for it to. I have so many plans in store for this fic and who knows how long it will be by the time it's done lmao. What I do know though, is that it will most likely end up going from a general rating to an explicit for horny reasons and I can't wait.

[obsidianpen]

So sorry Pen. I think you must be fed up with all the Harrymort vs Tomione submissions, and obv you don't have to post this, that's only my take. I like the Tomione pairing, though of course not so much as to read everything Tomione, only the fics that address it in a convincingly manner, that's thought up, profound and well written. I don't like Harrymort as much, I think because in the past I read so much m/m fanfic that I've had my fill now and I find it difficult to read m/m fics anymore: I liked them because they avoided all the het cliches and portrayed less predictable and more conflicted relationships, but over time they seemed to me to become tropey as well, ofc it's not so, a good story is a good story, maybe I'm only saturated with m/m fics and now I find more compelling f/m stories with complex and believable female characters, they are so difficult to find! Buuut all this said I've no problem admitting: No Glory is a wonderful, dark, suspenceful fic, which I also follow because I love the way you write, and the Tom/Voldemort and Harry pairing is a lot more grounded in canon than the Tomione pairing, which I prefer, but admittedly makes no sense canon-verse and to work has always to be justified by brittle devices (almost always time-travel in ways which should be impossible canonically). A f/m pairing which makes sense in canon is Tom/Voldemort and Ginny, but I don't very much like her character because duh, it's non existent in the books, and also I couldn't find fics about them that appealed to me.

You’re not wrong, I am tired of responding to all the discourse and seeing it get washed up on my page - honestly I’m only responding to this for the last bit. Hard disagree from me about Ginny’s character being non-existent in the books! She gets shit on so much in the fandom and it makes me sad. Ginny had some real character development in the books, it’s even visible from the POV of Harry, who is pretty clueless when it comes to his love interests (I also feel like Cho gets a really bad rep!). Ginny went from super shy, awkward, and all around embarrassing fan girl to a cool, breezy, quidditch player who snagged a personal invite to the slug club before term even started, something plenty of other students never managed. She came up with the name for Dumbledore’s Army, she said a few things to Harry that made him rethink his life (“The thing about growing up with Fred and George… is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve.” and, of course, when reminding Harry that she was possessed by Voldemort many times years ago and Harry says I forgot, “lucky you.”). She called Blaise a poser, Percy a prat, Ron and Lavender a pair of eels or something when Ron’s being a hypocrite - she’s got nerve. She doesn’t get as much screen time as Hermione and people hate her, I think, because she got Harry in the end, but like her or not, she’s a definitely got a personality!

and yes - canonically, gin’n’tonic has much more going for it than tomione does. I’ve always thought there’s a lot of potential for a super dark Ginny/Voldemort thing too, like why didn’t LV kidnap her in book 7 and use that to flush Harry out? It couldn’t have been too hard to figure out who Harry had been openly dating and use that against him… 🤷‍♀️

[radfemsiren]

Honestly it might just a be a relatable thing as I am a wlw myself, but I can only find wlw romance films, well written. Obv not all and most are by fetishising men, but they feel like they are genuinely thought through and deep. But most mlm romance is just a cash grab. I always found them very repeptive. And obv most straight is misogynistic unfortunately.

I'm not all that into romance myself as I love being single and alone. But I just can't enjoy like 90% of the romance media out there. Maybe I just have high standards?

I used to be really into bl when I was younger and for some reason it still didn't click that 2 women can be together too. I don't know why. But I eased up into gl and got comfortable with my sexuality. And now that's the type of romance I find myself thinking is well written.

No fr, when it comes to gl vs bl, it’s definitely quality versus quantity. Looking back at the shit that was popular in my time 🤢 Me and a bunch of girls were into Killing Stalking when we were freshmen and I look back and think, wtf were we reading?? Doesn’t work as a romance, doesn’t work as a crime thriller, doesn’t have a good art style, doesn’t have interesting characters… yet still thousands of readers, huh?!

We’re pretty similar. I feel super picky about romance media too, as someone who prefers the single life. Ive always found it less interesting than other kinds of over arching plots, like coming of age, war, mysteries… I like it as a b plot, something sweet for the background. I always find it hard to bring myself to care about love stories… probably is hypocritical of me to try and judge romance as Not a lover gal, more of a chronic Three-months and I’m bored and over every relationship gal 😅

[hoodiedoodles]

i wish Lostbelt 6 and Lostbelt 7 were swapped because it feels like LB7 was penultimate compared to 6.

Lostbelt 7 is very much "big bad guy blows shit up and it's a really hard fight to stop him" which parallels Babylonia's Tiamat in functionality, but it's also kind of a basic premise? Like obvs LB7's story isn't "basic", I hear it's quite complex and very good.

But LB6 is about narratives as a concept. LB6 is a story about stories-- it is a self-fullfilling entity. By existing it embodies it's own ideas.

Given how FGO is fundamentally about "the stories of humanity-- stories of love and hate" manifested both literally through Servants being heroic fables and conceptually through the various Singularities/Lostbelts being "forgotten stories of humanity", concluding with a "story about stories" feels very appropriate.

Who better to be the final boss than Oberon-Vortigern, the Devouring Worm, he who hates you for the stories you've destroyed?

Who better to fight than the Tam Lin of the Round Table, circling all the way back around to the narrative nature of Artoria from the original FSN?

Who better to develop as a character than Mash, someone who's stood with you all this time?

Obvs it wouldn't be that easy. Part of the reason LB6 is so good is because it separates itself almost completely from the rest of the Part 2 plotline. It might be a Lostbelt but all the Lostbelt concepts are absent. Even the Tree of Emptiness has been cut down by the time we get there. If LB6 was the finale they'd have to shoehorn a ton of Alien God fuckshittery in there to tie the story up, which would compromise the overall quality.

But still, Oberon is the final boss in my heart. My man is too well written to not be the last enemy at the gate.

[importantdestinydefendor]

My Thoughst about A Stepmother's Märchen

So it is @stepmarchen anniversary of their blog and we both talked in the comments about ASM (obv) and I brought up how I thought about some of the things in the story. And I though I just make an entire post about it!

So first off: I absolutly love the story and the art. But not every story is perfect and even those who love the series will have some nit-picks/"negativ" thoughts. I also want to preface - I am german (and actually a quarter Prussian but that doesn't really count now, doesn't it).

Now, let us start with some things I like about this story:

I love how complexe the characters are and how they fit the themes of the story. They are so well written - even the onse we hate or despise (*cough* Johan *cough*). We see some of their reasons but they are not excused. I can't wait to see more of the older characters backstorys! The setting is one we see a lot in mahwa (especially isekai/reincarnation) but it still feels fresh to me. It fits the overall vibe of the story a lot and we do travel from place to place and not stay in one location too long (except the Neuschwansteins estate ofc). The art really complements the story and I love how it is a well balanced mix between the manhwa style and a semi-realistic one.

And now my nit-picks:

My biggest gripes are the names that are not only used for places but for the characters. For example the name of the empire itself always catapultes me a little out of the story when I read it. In the story the place Shuri lives in is called "The Empire of Kaiserreich" as we all know. But the problem (for me) is here that the word "Kaiserreich" is already the german word used for empire. So it is basically "The Empire of Empire" which doesn't make much sense?? I know that the name Germany had for a long time is "Deutsches Kaiserreich" or "Kaiserreich of Germany" which consited of both Germany and Prussia. And thus Kaiserreich is also a name. But we also use it as a noun to talk about an empire so it feels a little weird. This is the most common complain I see so I don't want to hammer too much on it.

Now character names (primarily first names since most of the last names ar derived of actual places). We have really good germanic names like Albrecht (love his nickname btw), Johan/Johannes, Heidi, Theobold, Ludovika, etc. But some names seem like a... weird choise for a germanic setting. (I am also not counting Latin names since that is were the German language originates from) Let's start with the Neuschwansteins and with Shuri. The name Shuri is not of german origin and feels a little out of place sometimes (I think one of it's origins is Japanese). Same goes for Jeremy, which is a british name and only got popular in Germany around the 1970s. Leon is of greek origin. The exttended family: The first two siblings of Johan are fine even though I am questining the use of Müller as a first name since it is commonly a surename derived from an occupation. Penceler is not that bad either but would usually be written with an s and is actually a surname as well which is a variant of the surname Hensler. Valentino is an italian name that got popular in the 2010s in Germany. Staff: (Next I wanted to do Roberto, but apperintly it is a german name??? The more you know, I guess.) Gwen is of welsh origin. (I do not remember the names of the knights working for Neuschwanstein)

Now the others I can remember. Royal Family: Most of them are fine but Letran seems to be a surname. And at first I thought their surname Baden Mismarck was a typo. (Can anyone tell my why ORKA and Spice&Kitty chose Mismarck and not Bismarck? Maybe to not cause confusion when searching fro the characters?) Church: Cardinal Richelieu is a french name and there actually was a man named Cardinal Richelieu, who also came to be known as "The Red Eminence". Nürnberger: Norra is a scandanavian name and a variation of Nora.

Onto appearances

Character design whise I can't really say much since it is indeed fanatsy and not trying to do real life acuracy. But it still bugs me a little that we have all these actually acurate haircolours but Shuri has to have pink hair? And Ludovika + Theobolt white? Like I understand why. And if you squint you could say that Shuri has really light red hair and Ludovika + Theobolt have really light blond hair. This is the tiniest nit-pick of all though. Most of my nit-picks are with the names. At least what they wear stays consistant all the time.

This is all from the top of my head. I saw on this reddit post that people discussed the different time periods that ASM consists off/takes insperation from. I am not a really good history buff so I can't really talk about the historical acuracy of the story (even though I do study art history and should know about some of these things oops-).

Reminder: I love this story and did not write this to hate on ORKA and Spice&Kitty. And most of the nit-picks are name related. I did research most of what I have written here while writing this and my appreciation and respect for them has grown immensely.

(On a side note: I fell very deeply for those whos culture has been missrepresented and against those stories, my nit-picks are just a fraction of the injusties these wonderful cultures get. So, authors and artists (myself included), do your reaserch and a proper one at that if you are unfamiliar with the cultur you want to write about or draw. Any culture. Even your own.)

[the-marron]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Hi!!! Thank you for thinking of me 🥰

Ah, well, that's a hard one, because choosing favourite kids is never an easy task and my faves change often, but I will do my best! I really like writing in general, so all the works are made with love, even if I don't revisit them anymore.

It's Not a Safe World For Kids - Batman/Catwoman, 12k

It's mostly Selina interacting with different Robins and figuring out her place in the family and in Bruce's life. I like it not only because of my love for the ship and the Robins that appear there, but also because it gave me an opportunity to play with the abundance of contradicting canons and timelines, wrangling it all into a more or less cohesive story of the Bat family.

I can see that you are lonesome just like me - Weilan Derivatives, Hong Yizhou/Ma Fei, 21k

This one is special not only because I really like the characters and I think they work together well given their respective canons, but I also liked working on it - it's a second attempt at this story, that I made after my friend pointed out that there is one bit that absolutely doesn't work in the first one. The resulting 'Director's Cut' of the fic is not only a story I like due to its slice of life feel of two tired, heroic people trying to find their way to one another, but also a memento of our talks and collaboration on making the second version.

Deceive me kindly (while I'm still here) - Weilan, steampunk au, 13k

My love for steampunk, self-made tragedies and Weilan all rolled into one. I know that bad endings/open endings are not everyone's thing so I can't recommend it with clear conscience, but I had lots of fun 'translating' Guardian's setting into a steampunk one, especially since I could delve into the darker undertones here.

we devour, like a falcon in the dive | - Weilan derivatives, Luolin, 13k

Okay, so choosing a favourite Luolin proved to be very hard ;-; In each one I centred on a different thing that I like about the ship (or maybe the possibility of the ship since, you know, derivs) so picking just one is... *hard*, but this one is my first attempt to give them a clean cut, kinda-historically accurate happy ending, plus again, I have a friend co-conspirator who inspired large parts of it. Also: it's very dramatic, I do like me some drama

End Racism in the OTW | The Story's Unwinding - Weilan, The Mummy! au, 61k

I usually divide between my own works and collaborations, but I just can't pick from my own, it would be a whole list, and this one is the fic of my dreams that I wrote with my friend and that love re-reading whenever I feel down - it's that feeling when you notice bits and pieces and you are not sure who wrote what, but it gives you lots of joy. Plus it marries Guardian and the Mummy, which are my two favourite works of 'Unhinged About the Love of My Life, Thanks'. And the process of writing this fic was one of the funniest rides ever.

Bonus: The Way of the Househusband, Weilan, 4k

Okay, so this is funny because I wasn't convinced that this fic was that good when I first published it, but it was inspired by my friend's art and I wanted to share it, but I kind of... didn't expect it to be noticed by anyone? But not only my friend liked the illustration for her art, but also this fic lured in another person who I can now call a friend, so this has lots of sentimental value 😁

Again, thank you for the ask, I will happily poke others ❤