#ive really loved doing the little snippets of history thing

[tallymarkbrothers]

[Inktober Day 23 - Celestial]

[ctrl-alt-deleting-yr-face]

fuck it

i’ll share a small snippet of my au oneshot that i wrote. maybe it’s not too horribly written. my friend said it was good

if people are interested maybe i’ll share the whole thing ^^

anyways uhhhh lil thing that i wrote for my dumb lil bedman revival au below the cut. just a note that this is oc x canon so if that ain’t your jam it’s fine ^^

Hikari awoke… who knows how long later. She sat up frantically in a hospital bed, panting as she tried to figure out where she was, only to be met with a rather tranquil sight. A firm hospital bed with a fluffy blanket, an open window that let in a nice breeze, an IV drip in her arm and a bouquet of daisies and lilies on the bedside… And two figures in the corner of the room, one of whom she easily recognized. That’s Asuka! But who’s…

“Well, well, well. Look who’s finally awake.”

Asuka left the room, leaving just the other boy in the room with her. A boy whose mere presence overwhelmed her. He had fluffy lilac hair, half-lidded brown eyes…

“Took you long enough, don’t you think? Honestly, it’s ironic that you were the one who needed medical care.”

He wore a black turtleneck with loose balloon pants, a hoodie wrapped around his waist…

“Usually I’m the one that requires rehabilitation of some kind. I’ve had a history of needing frequent medical assistance, you know this. Yet here I was, sitting here waiting for you to wake up.”

A down arrow hair clip, round glasses, crutches on his arms… She could feel tears forming in her eyes.

“Honestly, Hikari. What happened to you? What did you do? How did you do all this?”

Is that really him..?

Hikari just stared at the boy in front of her, tears in her big blue eyes as she gazed in shock. She felt like she’s dreaming again… If she pinched herself, would she wake up? She opened her mouth, but only a single word left her lips.

“...Romeo?”

The lilac haired boy froze, going silent as he turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

“What? …Oh, don’t jump the gun on me now, what is it?” Romeo announced with his characteristic snark, watching the blue haired yokai intently. He was expecting a smile, or some sort of happy reaction, but he wasn’t expecting what really happened. Hikari sobbed, quickly trying to stand up. She stumbled a little, catching herself with the IV stand as she shakily moved towards the boy.

“Romeo…” She spoke shakily, taking a few more small steps before she broke. Tears ran down her face as she dashed over and pulled him into a hug, crying as she held him close. She wasn’t sad. No, not in the slightest. She was overjoyed. Relieved. Filled with love.

Finally, she succeeded. He was back. For once, and for all.

[p-taryn-dactyl]

what i've been working on!!

ok so imma divide this up in two sections, fanfics im working on and original/personal writings ive been working on!! im actually really excited to share these so hopefully at least one sounds interesting!! (im adding descriptions on the original works, but you can ask questions about any of the fanfics/originals, in fact I would really love it!!)

FANFICS:

before/after installations of 'way down we go'

final part of CIAFOM

second part of 'in the shadows'

finishing parts of 'Fail-Safe'

dimensional pt2

few other one shots <3

ORIGINAL WORK:

BOG*:

script (that I started writing before the strike - not working with a studio). a young researcher who uses drones/scanning technology in the swamps, marshes, and bogs of the American east coast and south uncovers an intricate kill group that's been disposing of bodies for decades. I also have the theme/credit song picked out in my head lol

The Confessor

book idea!! I actually shared the plot/planning I had for this one in a previous post! this idea is my baby

Crumbled Empire*

okay so you know how GoT is sort of based on the War of Roses and the history of Great Britain but with dragons and a little cooler? this is like that but with the Roman Empire, focusing on the reign of Caligula, the Mad Emperor. I actually love this idea so much bc I love fantasy books that take inspiration from actual things in ancient history. I don't know which magical creature ill add, probably something from Roman mythology lol bc I don't want to do dragons (even tho I love them)

The Awakening*

I also shared a snippet of this idea in another post. the MC, Ronnie, wakes up after dying with the ability to see archangels, who continue to warn her of something called the Awakening. basically has to stop the end of the world lol.

Eilean nan Diathan

that isn't the title bc I don't have even a draft title for this one lol. but ive done a shit ton of world building for it!! I hope google translate didn't lie to me, but Eilean nan diathan means island of the gods and there's kingdoms in it lol. it's a lot cooler than im making it I swear!! I can even tell you all about the kingdoms if anyone wants!!

*= draft title

hopefully something in this list sounds interesting????

[cubedmango]

u know what fuck it . ive already had 3 kind of accurate predictions so im gonna throw one last very wishful thinking inspired prediction out into the world for the last ep . if the universe is kind it will make my hopes happen and if not then. i will go lie down in a ditch and cry i guess (under the cut bc wow this got a bit long)

patpran Do break up for realsies. no fakery or going back to secret dating or anything. they decide that the times just not right for them, and that if they can only have either their relationship or their familys support, they need the latter more

the scene of them telling their parents Does happen . they Do react like the shit parents they are. hate to say this but its extremely in-character for them its very real so

they announce said break up to everyone at uni. they all think theyre joking or had some fight while they were gone. maybe here patpran explain their full history to their friends (if they havent already)??? anyways none of them are happy about this

insert extremely sad snippets of them just watching each other from afar or looking at the guitar/watch/pick/shirt/earphones/god theyve shared so much shit help with painful yearning . everyone notices

the time skip is Not Real. either some kind of what-if scenario or a dream/daydream/nightmare sequence most likely thought up by pat, imagining them staying away from each other all those years. the reunion part is him yearning and hoping they can get back together one day because of Course he’d want that

irl though, perhaps like a montage of patpran having different demeanors around their family?? like them just Not acting the same as before, being less energetic, less responsive, etc, and here is when parents start to get concerned

maybe the separation reaching a breaking point, with pat or pran (or both) snapping at their parents like “i/we already broke up for your sake, what more do you want from me/us?” after a long time of just bottling up the issue and not bringing it up

somewhere, pran saving pa as kids finally being brought up?? possibly by pa herself whos now ready to talk about it???? just pa also having enough of their parents acting like little children and making her brother and the person who’s literally the reason she’s even alive rn both miserable

the friends could step in as well, tell them about just how different patpran have been recently after the break up?? would love it if wai told dissaya something about pran during boarding school and how shaken he was then because of the sudden transfer that she caused, and korn talking about how just. Mad pat used to be at everything and causing unnecessary fights. or something!! many possibilities

ming and dissaya (and the other two too) finally having that moment of realization of “Oh. We’re Actually Hurting Our Kids By Being The Way That We Are” and possibly even doing something about it? shockingly?? wow

and then something something the parents having A Lengthy Talk and deciding to either reconcile (not likely i think lol but would be sweet) or to at least be civil towards each other for their sons’ sake, coming to a truce to put their past behind them from there onwards or to at least no longer force their own views onto the boys

both parents apologizing to their kids for everything because i am a tired asian who just wants to see some fictional parents admit their fault For Once !!! if nothing else this is the one thing id want to manifest in the ep

and then ummmm. scene of them asking patpran to meet them together and (cries) telling them that theyre ok with it if theyre dating and (sobs) and that theyd support them and (wails) and

yeah and then like . real montage of how things Actually end for them w them getting back together and really going to the reunion together and graduating and . Just Being Happy!!!! they deserve it!!!!!! maybe a hint to s2 with inkpa or waikorn crumbs and thats it thats the ending thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[thisweekingundamwing]

This Week in Gundam Wing 23-29 May 2021

I’m so on the ball with this lately... >_> Sorry. Here’s this week’s roundup! May 23rd - 29th!

Remember to give your content creators some love! Be sure to join in on the events at the bottom! And remember to send in any new works you see or make next week!

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

The Preventer Calendar https://archiveofourown.org/works/31561295

Gen, Reader, Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Zechs Merquise, OC - Character

Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, Humor, Partial Nudity, Reader-Insert, Nudity, A teeny hint of TrowaxReader, Rating because of some gratuitous nudity on Trowa's side

Twelve models, twelve shoots, twelve different locations in the Ardennes, and all of it in two fucking days. Because Preventer couldn’t spare you their agents any longer than that.

Why had you agreed to do this project again?

It's all for the arts.

boxofhatebrains

Helping Hand https://archiveofourown.org/works/31620146

M/M, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply, Light Angst, Comfort/Angst, Minor Injuries, Implied/Referenced Blow Jobs, Not Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop Compliant, after series, Flirting, Not Beta Read, slight reference to Episode Zero, Swearing

Duo realizes that Heero comes around whenever he damn well feels like it. They’ve been in contact for the last seven years after the Mariemaia incident, but generally at Heero’s own whim. Duo stays in the same place, it’s Heero who gravitates.

This time is no different.

@duointherain

Silent Menace https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/652120818915115009/fic-silent-menace-11

1x2x1

Warnings: Mute Duo. Drugged and injured Heero.

Une always had the dark side of the job. She’d let others give out goodness, but bad news she owned herself. Duo had come to the conclusion that she was trying to take responsibility, trying to be a decent person. He could vibe with that.

@lifeaftermeteor

Touched by the Stars (Ch. 7) https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314657/chapters/77885468

M/M, Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Chang Wufei, Chang Wufei/Quatre Raberba Winner

Explicit, Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings, thar be porn, Dubious Consent, Aliens, Alien Abduction, Alternate Universe, mention of MPREG, everyone takes a turn with Wufei, alien anatomy and interesting dicks, Tentacles, Monster Boys, Slime, Double Cocks, Cum Inflation, Knotting, Oral, multiple dicks, Xeno, Spitroasting, Oviposition, Body Modification, Polyamory, Unbirthing, Triple Penetration, Cervical Penetration

University instructor Chang Wufei didn't even believe in aliens, much less intentionally attract their attention. But that doesn't mean much when they decided he'd be the ideal final mate for their group and scoop him off of the planet to take home to their queen. Enjoying him on the trip there, of course. 

@noirangetrois

Of the Sea (Ch. 10) https://archiveofourown.org/works/12749670/chapters/78205124

M/M, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, fairytale my way, Meroctopus!Dorothy, Slow Burn, Multi POV, POV Third Person Limited, merman au, MerMay, Fantasy Politics, mentions of abuse, Unnatural November

Heero Yuy will soon be reaching the age of majority, at which time he will ascend the throne of Wingaria. Before such time, he must needs choose a bride. But what if there are no good choices? What if someone else has captured his heart?

The Story of Wrong (Ch. 8) https://archiveofourown.org/works/13849020/chapters/77856332

M/M, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Explicit, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Duo POV, Angst, Drama, Tragedy, Spoilers, very dark, Heero and Duo don’t die, I promise, Yaoi, slowburn, Mental Instability, Mental Health Issues, Mental Breakdown, If those are in any way an issue for you then go ahead and skip this, Eventual Smut, VERY eventual, this is mostly canon-compliant but I’ve changed a couple things here and there

Duo recounts his experiences during the war in order to explain… well, why he was wrong.

simulacraryn

love me like (tomorrow we’re) stardust https://archiveofourown.org/works/31458119/chapters/77811359

M/F, Treize Khushrenada/Lady Une

Treize Khushrenada, Lady Une, Original Characters, Hot Dog (gundam wing)

Explicit, Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Angst, Near Death Experiences, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, unredeemable villain, Sex, Smut, consent is fucking sexy, Spoiler: He wore the Astro Suit at last!, Newtypes (Gundam Wing), no predators or prey here, intact brains

The World Nation would face off against the White Fang to bring about an end to all conflict between the Colonies and Earth. The plan had called for the bitter end of the last bastion of the old regime, Treize Khushrenada. However, as with every play on the stage of war, the actors have chosen to adlib. Effectively throwing the course of history off the rails, the director finds himself faced with a new road to choose.

@zaganthi

Jiu Jie https://archiveofourown.org/works/31413956

M/M, M/F, Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner; Treize Khushrenada/Quatre Raberba Winner; Treize Khushrenada/Duo Maxwell; Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker

Explicit, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Relationship Negotiation; Polyamorous Character; Quatre Raberba’s Uchuu no Kokoro | Space Heart; Aged-Up Character(s); Newtypes (Gundam Wing); Past Relationship(s); Jealousy; Awkward Flirting; Bathing/Washing; Cuddling & Snuggling; Museums; talking about feelings; Psychic Bond; Dealing with exes; Ex Sex; Colonists exploring earth

Hilde waved goodbye as she left and Duo went to look for Treize and Quatre. What the hell was wrong with him. His body seemed to be saying yes but his mind was definitely not in that space at all. What the everlasting hell was going on. He wanted to see her again but why?

Treize passed him a picture of tree frogs, apparently feeling the confusion as Duo half jogged through the aquarium to catch back up. What the hell. Just what the hell.

It took him a while to get there, but the moment he got close, Quatre saw him, beamed a happy smile and the link opened up with a rush and he was surrounded again in emotional warmth. It was addictive and a relief, and there wasn’t, there wasn’t any recrimination from either of them. Just run off and see an old flame, it’s cool, we’ll be here when you get back vibes.

Lebensmüde https://archiveofourown.org/works/31413278

M/M, Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner; Treize Khushrenada/Quatre Raberba Winner; Treize Khushrenada/Duo Maxwell

Explicit, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Aged-Up Character(s); Quatre Raberba’s Uchuu no Kokoro | Space Heart; Newtypes (Gundam Wing); Preventers (Gundam Wing); Cameos; Therapy; Aftermath of Torture; Aftermath of Violence; Rape Aftermath; Physical Disability; Gratuitous Smut; Psychic Bond; Psychic Abilities; Domestic; Injury Recovery

Treize remembered the discussion of gunpowder residue on his head; it was one of the things John had been livid about after everything, and unable to explain any more than Treize had at the time. Seeing it written down… was something else. Treize closed the book over his finger, gently tapping it on his thigh as he looked up at Quatre.

“The first hot chocolate of the season,” Quatre said sitting down next to him, comfort flowing over the link. “I really wanted something sweet.” He paused. “I can feel something is…oh.” He noticed the book in Treize’s hand.

“Adding to the list of things we need to probably talk about,” he said quietly, contemplating it as he reached with his other hand to take the cocoa. “Have you written everything up?”

Fanart/Crafts/Photo Manips:

@2pcbart

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31618103

Recollect - Trowa/WuFei, comic style

@alphaikaros

https://alphaikaros.tumblr.com/post/651358650733150208/little-angry-boi

WuFei Chang, fanart

@bettertasting

https://bettertasting.tumblr.com/post/652303436314017792/something-spicy-for-the-dash-im-really-digging

Heero/Duo, fanart, nsfw

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/652089738925359104/%F0%9D%98%9B%F0%9D%98%A9%F0%9D%98%AA%F0%9D%98%B4-%F0%9D%98%AA%F0%9D%98%B4-%F0%9D%98%97%F0%9D%98%B3%F0%9D%98%A6%F0%9D%98%B7%F0%9D%98%A6%F0%9D%98%AF%F0%9D%98%B5%F0%9D%98%A6%F0%9D%98%B3-%F0%9D%98%9E%F0%9D%98%AA%F0%9D%98%AF%F0%9D%98%A5-%F0%9D%98%A4%F0%9D%98%A2%F0%9D%98%AD%F0%9D%98%AD%F0%9D%98%AA%F0%9D%98%AF%F0%9D%98%A8-zechs-merquise

Tallgeese, gunpla

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/652448694036316160/sd-wing-gundam-ew

Wing, gunpla

@judaru

https://judaru.tumblr.com/post/651257960922857472/im-20-years-late-but-ive-been-reading-a-lot-of

Duo Maxwell, fanart

@keiko1183

https://keiko1183.tumblr.com/post/652327422940807168/completed-with-pencils-might-be-doing-the-acrylics

Trowa/Quatre, fanart

@not-so-dead-fandoms

https://not-so-dead-fandoms.tumblr.com/post/651085636504272896/mermay-01

Heero Yuy, fanart

https://not-so-dead-fandoms.tumblr.com/post/651494132071661568/mermay-02-duo-as-a-betta-fish-merlad

Duo Maxwell, fanart

https://not-so-dead-fandoms.tumblr.com/post/652283083819810816/mermay-03-of-course-i-made-trowa-a-clownfish

Trowa Barton, fanart

@pineappleglazedham

https://pineappleglazedham.tumblr.com/post/651759824584966144

Trieze/Une, fanart, fanfiction, playlist

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@clair-audients

https://clair-audients.tumblr.com/post/652114120696594432

Wing & Altron, gif

@disturbed02girl

https://disturbed02girl.tumblr.com/post/617456995130294273/thoughtful-quatre-thursday

Quatre, manga page

@meggie-stardust

https://meggie-stardust.tumblr.com/post/652350439669547008/same-energy

Epyon is an icon.

Fandom Discourse:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

https://bobo-is-tha-bomb.tumblr.com/post/651423437954433024/a-homage-to-the-reader-insert

Reader Insert Homage

@cuteciboulette

https://cuteciboulette.tumblr.com/post/652076342033170432/shinigamis-coming-to-town-d-duo-just

Duo Maxwell, doujinshi

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/652102805897805825/in-the-groupchat-trowa-why-tf-do-we-have-20

Trowa & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/652356366558806016/heero-yeah-but-as-far-as-plans-go-this-is-not-a

Heero & Quatre

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/651830976331251712/duo-gesturing-to-heero-dont-worry-weve-got-an

Duo, Heero, & WuFei

Calendar Events:

@gundamzine

Rhythm Generation 2021

Meet the Mods: https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/636708854145613824/come-on-over-a-meet-your-2021-zine-mod-team-head

Check out the blog for the Zine schedule!

@gundam-wing-pride

Gundam Wing Pride 2k21 https://gundam-wing-pride.tumblr.com/post/648237909672083456/incoming-transmission-faq

A Beautiful Rainbow of Prompts https://gundam-wing-pride.tumblr.com/post/649898271517573120/a-beautiful-rainbow-of-prompts

@gwartserver

Month of WuFei https://gwartserver.tumblr.com/post/649995521569767424/month-of-wufei

Shooting Stars (online convention) https://gwartserver.tumblr.com/post/650013463432888320/once-upon-a-time-lifeaftermeteor-and-myself

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, !

In need of Summer/Fall(Autumn) prompts!

(I’ll um... fix these when I have time to find more prompts.)

@gwlemonyshenanigans

May 23rd’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/651999227800600576/may-23rd-submission

May 24th’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652131130827571200/may-24th-submissions

May 25th’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652252350922342400/may-25th-submissions

May 26th’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652312096032342016/may-26th-submissions

May 27th’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652433653693136896/may-27th-submissions

May 28th’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652434486286548992/may-28th-submission

May 29th’s Submissions https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652648408588353536/may-29th-submissions

Friday Spotlight! https://gwlemonyshenanigans.tumblr.com/post/652439213602684928/the-lastspotlight-friday

@oztober-rust

Welcome to Oztober Rust

We’re an up and coming Gundam Wing event with a slight twist! This page is still a work in progress, but you’re welcome to join us over on discord and get a feel for the event.

Have discord, will fan. https://oztober-rust.tumblr.com/post/647568110262566912/i-see-a-nice-and-steady-following-we-do-have-a

@seasons-of-gundamwing

Summer Event Voting https://seasons-of-gundamwing.tumblr.com/post/646220556727877633/seasons-of-gundamwing-okay-wingers-its-time-to

@thisweekingundamevents

Events Calendar https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/644080386309275648/events-calendar-update

If you are hosting an event currently, or are planning on one, hit us up with links and dates! We’ll add them to the Calendar and reblog your notices to get the word out!

[disworl]

Alive, indefinitely.

I.

So, since I’ve been dutifully informed that since this is my blog and I can post hwhatever I want, I thought I’d talk a little about my ‘fic ‘Alive, indefinitely’.

The ‘fic was birthed by me realizing the implications of Hussie’s revision that all burgundy bloods have the ability to commune with the dead. For the most part, I dislike his changes where the trolls from Homestuck proper become near stock representatives of their entire bloodcaste, but at least, this one has compelling subtext instead of just seeming lazy. And it is that the bloodcaste that has the ability to commune with the dead is also the bloodcaste that lives the shortest and is the most likely to have friends and acquaintences who die often.

And who better explore that topic than Aradia? So I wrote the ‘fic, and it did branch out to be about her, partially as her role as a rustblood on Alternia. And so it grew bigger than just exploring the subtext. I knew I wanted it in little numbered parts that made vignettes, as I’d been working on writing longer stories and was worried I was losing my edge in vignettes and short fiction. Though the resulting ‘fic ended up 1,677 words (I intended to keep it under 1,000, though I’m not disappointed!), I’m still very satisfied with it and think the vignettes work. With the numbering of the vignettes, I also wanted to do an sort of Epileptic Bicycle and start skipping around numbers, to show that there was different amounts of time passing, and that things were happening in between. And because I just thought it was neat. The idea of a story with missing numbered chapters is very compelling. And anyway, I did have a skip, with the penultimate vignette being 5, and the ultimate being 10 (which upon thought really does make the ‘a lifetime later’ after the 10 work out mathematically*), but it played nowhere near as a big role as I would want to. Maybe some other time.

*Which since all the numbers are roman numerals, 10 ends up being ‘x’, which as a symbol is associated with death. I planned none of that (or at least I don’t remember it consciously) but I will take credit, regardless.

II.

For a second I thought Tumblr was more competent than it is, so I tried to insert a line break, but Tumblr is not competent, so have a fancy second section with big roman numerals instead.

Anyway, I’m just going to note and comment on some specific parts of the passage, because I can.

The internet is wide and wonderful, and it is through there that she learns about archaeology, the wonders lying just beneath the ground and thinks, to be an archaeologist would be an awfully grand adventure.

What Aradia thinks is a fairly straightforward play on the phrase, ‘to die would be an awfully grand adventure’. It's a neat way to both tie back the theme, and it also spared me from figuring out exactly how to phrase it.

She finds especially good company with one boy, his troll tag resting at the top of her chumproll. He’s a rustblood like her, a bit reserved but passionate about the mystery book he’s writing. Occasionally he sends her snippets from it, and while it’s a bit clumsy, he is always eager to hear about her archaeological expeditions, so she never mentions it.

When I wrote this part, I suddenly realized I needed an unnamed rustblood to die. I also realized it would be a good idea to also characterize him a little bit before killing him off, so you get at least the idea of what his and Aradia’s relationship was like, so I decided to use one of my long-derelict fantrolls.

So she starts to rebel. She grows her hair out, longer than the modest shoulder-length cut she had before. She lets it become wild, a sign of her own spirit and power. She starts painting her lips and lining her eyes in burgundy, a mockery of the high bloods who wear their blue hues as a fashion statement.

This is a combination of two of my headcanons about Alternian society: that long, wild hair is seen as a sign of power and sexuality (as expressed by the Condesce and other highbloods), and that wearing hemo lipstick and eyeliner is a high blood fashion trend.

When she is five sweeps old, she makes another close friend. He’s a bit shy, but unapologetic about what he likes – his fiduspawn collection, pupa pan, FLARPing – and that, as much as she loves Sollux, is a breath of fresh air.

Tavros is often done dirty by fanfic and fan-interpretations of Homestuck, and it often intertwines with apologism for Vriska and her abuse of him. He’s treated as a perpetually and naturally weak and insignificant, when having a person who is abusive like Vriska will make anyone unsure and rattled like that. It takes some digging, as the majority of Homestuck takes after Vriska’s batted around Tavros for quite a while, but underneath her abuse (and the effects from that abuse at the hands of Alternian culture) it’s clear that he’s still that unapologetically dorky kid, and even cocky at times. In his trollhandle adiosToreador, he’s not the Toreador - he’s the bull. And hopefully I could express that well in the space that I could.

She befriends Karkat through Sollux, and Terezi through Karkat, and it’s through Terezi that she learns about Vriska.

This is one of several sentences in this ‘fic that employ a certain sense of repetition and rhythm. Part of that is because it gives a motif of time, which is tied to death and destruction in Homestuck, and the other half is because I just... really like writing ‘em.

She still talks with Tavros, however, but now he’s uncertain, hesitant and ashamed, and a fair number of times when she trolls him he doesn’t reply, and when he does more than anything he talks about the things he’s experienced in his dreams, and she knows exactly who has been trolling him even if he doesn’t say it and –

– and Aradia watches her friend become a living ghost, bit by bit.

This is place where I forwent canon the most, earning the ‘fic its ‘mild timeline fudgery’ tag. Throughout writing this ‘fic I constantly had a tab open to either a page in Homestuck or the wiki, or both, in order to make sure I stayed as accurate to Alternian culture that I could (at least, in Homestuck proper). While there were a lot of gaps that I got fill in for myself, it’s just plain canon that Aradia sends the ghosts after Vriska immediately after she knows that Tavros is likely going to be paraplegic for the rest of his life. But I had written the sentence already (one of my favourite lines, really), and it just makes for a better story, at least in this ‘fic. So I kept it like that. There’s also a sort of cut-and-paste fudge in that sentence, too. I remembered that Tavros spent most of his time dreaming on Prospit just so he didn’t have to deal with Vriska’s abuse, but as it turns out, it happens after she god-tiers. So I just turned it into regular dreaming and thereby folded into the above canon discrepancy. But it’s definitely based on that later detail.

iv.

The shock of seeing Sollux actually at her hive is quickly overtaken by the shock that courses through her veins right after she realizes what is about to happen, and far too late to do anything about it.

I knew pretty early that I wanted the vignette of her death to be one sentence long, though I certainly ended up stretching that one sentence fairly far. Either way, it’s very isolated from the rest of the ‘fic, which is fairly on-par for the ‘fic style where a particularly hard-hitting or important sentence gets its own paragraph. Anyway, everyone knows how the story ends, and it’s sudden for Aradia, so I think putting it in one sentence both works structurally and artistically.

She’s tired of temporal inevitability.

She’s free of the endless orders and voices of the dead.

She, for the first time in her life, feels truly alive.

Instead of the pale shadows that clung to her hive, the hollow ghosts that people left behind, the dream bubbles are filled with countless iterations of her friends, and numerous others.

But even then, dying and waking up in foreign surroundings is a shock.

And really, there’s no-one else who would be a better guide to greet the dead.

At this point, I feel again, that going into detail would be dragging things out. I also wanted it to feel significantly different from the rest. So, where the other parts of the story are told through a sort of rolling tone of voice, through ‘the lens of age old history’ the rather straightforward sentences here are meant to sound very present.

[captainderyn]

Deryn’s Full Fic Rec Masterpost

The fanfic writer appreciation day post here reminded me that I’ve been wanting to do a big fic rec post...so we’re gonna do it. It isn’t all the fics I can recommend, but there’s gonna be at least a handful and you can read these author’s works further if you so wish (and hopefully you will wish!) 

*word count only included so that people who want a shorter read can get a shorter read, or people looking for long fics can read long fics~

Complete: 

By the Guidance of the Stars by @greyias : SWTOR, 47,544, F!JK/Theron: Look, Grey is adorable and precious and we don’t deserve such an adorable bean. Exploring the aftermath of Yavin IV, this fic takes a look at what happens between the final battle and the goodbye our characters face and does so with just the right amount of jaunty moments and heartfelt interactions that pull at your heartstrings. 10/10 would recommend. 

Courtship and Lies by @riajade01 : SWTOR, 117,287, F!SW/Quinn: Regency AU! R e g e n c y AU! That should be enough to make you read it but if it isn’t then it is wonderfully written, more Mara and Quinn interactions and plenty of spice to keep things ah, spicy if you will. A really interesting twist of the Sith Warrior story and characters into a blend of SW and history that makes nerds like me very happy lmao. 

Where the Light Doesn't Reach by rosegardenlake on AO3: Voltron: Legendary Defender, 229,972, Shiro/Keith: Read the tags on this! But wow, okay, it’s the high school murder mystery AU I never knew I needed. I consumed this fic, was glued to it with how well it was written, how twisted the story was and how nothing you thought you knew seemed to be right! Would recommend if you like a good murder mystery and some really good angst. 

In Progress: 

Rising Son by @lumielles : SWTOR, 19,329,/ This fic follows the life of Idan Lumielle--eventually a Jedi Consular--with a stunning attention to detail and plotpoints that make you promptly make and/or join the Idan Defense Squad to protect him at all costs. 

Reduced To Ash by @riajade01 : SWTOR, 260,314, SW/Quinn/ Follows the Sith Warrior storyline; constantly melding both personal character points and takes and the canon storyline seamlessly. Just the right blend of spice, angst, and action to keep you reading until oh-god-it’s-3am o’clock

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Weak by dramasweety on AO3: DA,106,460, Dorian/M!Lavellan: Read the tags carefully on this one. A beautiful AU fic exploring the angst of an Inquisitor losing their memory and what it takes to rebuild a relationship that one side doesn’t even remember. Hurts like hell in an amazing way and has some truly tender moments in all the hurt.

Chaos and Opportunity by @inquisitorhotpants :  SWTOR, 259,446, F!SI/Marr: Kryn is a snarky gift upon the universe. Unhappy with canon? Good, canon is merely a suggestion here and it is AMAZING. Glorious amounts of worldbuilding make you scream for what SWTOR’s Empire could’ve had and when we get into the politics--and you guys know I love my political intrigue stories--everything is intricately tied together in a way that keeps you riveted. 

Scenes From the Boundless by @spectrum270 ​: SWTOR, 39,593, M!Smuggler/Risha: Want some jaunty, wholesome character interactions within the smuggler story? Longing for the crew of the smuggler to seem more like the family you’re dying for them to be? Then this is the fic for you! Wonderfully written with references from this world tied wonderfully into the SW-verse it’s a fun read and worth the time! 

Equivalent Exchange by @inyri ​: SWTOR, 189,622, F!IA/Theron: Follows the end of SOR and onward, beautifully written and you can’t help but get attached to--and a little afraid of--Nine. Weaves in some personal flair within the story itself and really builds on character relationships where the game sometimes lacks. And there’s some top tier spice, if that’s a benefit for anyone ;)

Kintsukuroi by @storyknitter: SWTOR, 38,099, F!JK/Theron: A collection of scenes from Fractured Alliances that have one point either made me squee or sob or both depending on which one! Knitter really does angst beautifully and the moments between Sanna and Theron are always so, so emotionally filled that they either hit you like a freight train with feels or melt you onto the floor...with feels. 

a star in another sky by neonheartbeat on AO3: Marvel, 148,348, Steve Rogers/Peggy Carter: Look, I’m not usually that into Marvel or fics but I was on a Peggy and Steve kick after rewatching Captain America: The First Avenger and found this gem. It takes what happens at the end of Endgame and makes it make sense. Want some angst? Bam! Want some wholesome family interactions! Whoo! Are you a history nerd like me and want some research in your fic dammit? Here you go! Worth the read even if you know nothing about Marvel. 

And I’m Your Lion Heart by Lee_Whimsy on AO3: The Hobbit (Movies), 71,701, Bilbo/Thorin: Did the end of the Hobbit make you cry and wish you’d never read/seen it? Good, you can forget it happened here. A beautiful fix it fic where things end up happier, beautifully building on the relationship between Thorin and Bilbo and what the reclamation of Erebor means for them. 

Eternal War by @anchanted-one ​: SWTOR, 40,097, M!JK/Lana: I have not officially finished this fic yet, however, it’s the KOTFE retelling you definitely need. Arro is an intensely interesting character and from what I have read and seen of this fic it is shaping up to keep you riveted and draw you into walking the path alongside him throughout KOTFE. 

The Hands of Fate Are Your Own by @elveny and @kunstpause: DA, 31,196, F!Hawke/Cullen F!Hawke/Isabela F!Hawke/Fenris: I haven’t had the pleasure of reading this fic yet but from what I have read from the teasers posted and the snippets given it is shaping up to be absolutely divine. Writers who can collaborate on a big fic have the dedication beyond measure and I’d truly suggest giving it a read! 

Heat by @elveny: DA, 13,386, F!Lavellan/Solas: Another fic I haven’t been able to sit down and read yet but would highly recommend from the teasers and snippets posted! It’s on my to-read list! 

-

This isn’t my full fic recommendation list, mostly missing a lot of tumblr exclusive prompts, however you can check out my “fic rec” tags and my “other people’s writing” to find some more fics! Hopefully this was helpful to any readers looking for some new material and go show these authors some love!

[writsgrimmyblog]

Rec List #1 Theme: 2018 Favourites

One of my fandom resolutions is to rec more in 2019. I’m going to post rec lists for some of my favourite Nick fics divided up by theme/content/ship or whatever I fancy throughout the year. It seems fitting that my first rec post of 2019 should be my favourite Nick Fics of 2018. If you’re interested in my Harry Potter themed recs, you can find them over on my other blog @writcraft under the tag #writ recs where I’m undertaking the same initiative.

This is by no means an exhaustive list - I’m limiting myself to ten recs per list and it is very difficult, I could have recced many more. I’ve read and enjoyed a whole raft of terrific stories and this rec list is simply based on my personal tastes which may not be everybody else’s cuppa. Please heed the content warnings the author has flagged on AO3 in each case, none of my recs include the content tags.

#1. Ten Track Sophomore Album by @junkshop-disco​ 

Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 4,228

Nick has always lived in noise, been the cause of a lot of it, but one day a boy writes him into a pop song and the whole world dissolves into static.

It doesn’t happen like that, not that easy, not that linear, but that’s the heart of it, the soul, if these things have such a thing.

My Rec: The Nick fic of 2018 is undoubtedly the final installment of junkshop-disco’s incredible Doodle of a Surface Life but that has quite rightly garnered so many recs by now if any Gryles reader hasn’t yet indulged, run, quick, what are you waiting for? I love DOASL with all of my heart, but I’m also a sucker for angst and I wanted to highlight this equally terrific fic in my rec list. The structure of this story, in which Nick loses his ability to hear music, is so cleverly done. It’s a very skilled writer that can create an entire fic around sound and make it come alive, and junkshop-disco manages it brilliantly. The fic reads like music, even as it describes the absence of it and it’s a stunning piece of writing. If you like your Gryles contemplative and angsty with confident, lyrical prose, this is the one for you. Junkshop-disco has such a terrific way with words I highly recommend reading all the works by this author. Every single one. But when you do make sure you take a moment to stop by this beautiful story and leave it all the love it deserves.

#2. Tell Me It’s The Strongest Shape by @louandhazaf

Nick Grimshaw/Elgar Johnson/Louis Tomlinson | 73,224

Nick and Elgar have it all. They’re famous, successful, and engaged to be married—and sometimes they play with others.

When uni student Louis gets street cast by Elgar for a GQ photoshoot, he's drawn into Nick and Elgar’s complicated relationship.

They've always invited mates into their bed. It doesn’t ever mean anything. Until… it does.

My Rec: This is such a great exploration of polyamory and the complexities of open relationships, and the author took a great deal of time developing the relationships between the characters and really working on highlighting some of those difficulties. I tend to gravitate towards fanfic where I care deeply about the characters, and although Elgar seems terrific I don’t have the same fannish relationship to him as I do to Nick and Louis so I was curious to know how I would respond to this fic. Basically, the author killed it. I felt such a deep investment in Elgar, Nick and Louis throughout and everything just flew by as I was reading. It’s also really fucking hot. Like, REALLY. Brilliantly done. I loved it. 

#3. Let The Boys All Sing And The Boys All Shout For Tomorrow by @lunarrua​

Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 18,429

It's February 1988. Thatcher is in power. There's a new drug sweeping through the clubbing scene. In Manchester, it's the eve of a major protest and a new musical movement. And when Nick finds Harry looking lost outside his favourite chip shop, it's the start of a weekend that will leave an indelible mark on both their lives.

My Rec: I saw the summary for this fic and actually yelled at my screen when it popped into my inbox. Gryles, set in Manchester in the 80s? Hell yes. The fic itself certainly didn’t disappoint, it’s absolutely beautiful. The author writes a well-researched, confident piece and the result is stunning. The atmosphere of the whole story is captivating and you can feel yourself transported to the heady days before the Manchester music scene shifted, the anxieties of the AIDS crisis and the fragility of the relationships formed during that period. The Harry of this fic has a transient quality which evokes the nostalgic reflection on a different time in our not so distant past. A real triumph. I loved this story with my whole heart. 

#4. Séjour by @silveredsound

Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 6,288

It is so quiet, which should be conducive to concentration, but Nick is bored and listless and lonely. He’s been there for two days and wants to know where the helpful lady is who’ll deliver him a gamine but takes-no-shit housekeeper who he can fall in love with without words. Words are not his friend.

“Where is my Love Actually moment?” he asks the ceramic kitchen sink as he pokes holes in the cover of one of the M&S ready meals he brought over with him.

«≠»

Nick’s got writer's block. Louis is a master of distraction.

My Rec: I’ve loved a number of stories by Silv this year and I was swinging back and forth between this and others, but there’s something about this little fic that has wormed its way into my heart and has taken hold so this is the one I’m choosing. As I said in my earlier reblog rec, this has such lush, evocative prose it perfectly captures the sense of a fleeting summer. There’s a seductive quietness to it, and a lovely unfolding of the story through snippets of tasting notes left by Louis on bottles of wine and Nick feeling a little bit lost and searching for words as he struggles with writer’s block. Two boys find one another in the warmth of a sleepy French town and it’s beautiful. Really wonderfully done.

#5. Fists & Flowers ‘Verse by @jiksax

Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 1,613 (Make It Worse) and 2,322 (I’ll Do What You Like (If You Stay The Night)

He’s looking at Nick with that soft, terrible look in his eyes, the look that tells Nick the two of them are probably something.

My Rec: If anyone other than Jiksa had told me they were planning an angsty fisting fic series I would have been like umm really? But of course, it’s Jiksa, so naturally I found myself sobbing at the raw, devastating intensity of the story. Jiksa deftly weaves the intensity of the physical act itself into the emotional tumult of Harry and Nick’s relationship in a way that’s incredibly beautiful. A bold, brave, superb piece of hot, confident writing, rich with emotional complexity. Gorgeous.

#6. Constantly on the Cusp by @shiftylinguini

Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 6169

It’s 5 in the morning, and Nick’s got an alarm going off, an unexpected bed full of pop star, and a nation to wake up.

It’s far too fucking early for this.

My Rec: UNFFFFF. I love Shifty’s writing. Like, an obsessive amount. I was so thrilled when Shifty started writing Tomlinshaw I didn’t know quite what to do with myself. It’s actually hard to believe this was Shifty’s first Tomlinshaw, because everything about the fic felt like they have been writing them for years. Louis is sleepy, horny and pissed off, Nick is awake, horny and wondering what it all means, and together they have this scorching hot, sexy moment. Nick’s internal monologue  gives us so much insight into their relationship and the fic offers a lovely, warm, hopeful moment at the end. Fantastically written and a sexy delight from start to finish. Loved it!

#7. this cookie’s baking by @disgruntledkittenface 

Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles (Genderswap Femslash) | 8,148

Harry’s eyes flicker between Nick’s eyes and lips. “I just want to be your–”

“Baby,” Nick says softly, cupping Harry’s jaw, “you already are.”

Nick and Harry have a long-overdue conversation.

My Rec: This was the first genderswap Gryles fic I have read and I absolutely loved it. The relationship between Nick and Harry feels so perfectly them and there’s a lovely warmth to the whole story. It’s light and funny but also contains moments of real emotional depth and those first time explorations and the hesitancy of admitting to being something more than friends is handled in such a terrific way. It’s a gorgeous story with wonderful writing and I loved every minute of reading it.

#8. let’s make some new rules by @camiii 

Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 12,743

A coffee shop, a Christmas party & a fake date to make sure no one gets laid at the end of the night.

My Rec: This was such an enjoyable read. I love camiii’s Tomlinshaw, and seeing this pop up was a wonderful surprise. Barista Louis agrees to be Nick’s fake boyfriend as he pines over an ex that definitely isn’t worth his time, and they become closer in the process. The pace of the story is wonderful, the flirting is brilliant and despite some misunderstandings and Nick’s no good ex trying to fuck things up, the ending is warm and hopeful. A lovely story, full of festive cheer. Thoroughly enjoyable.

#9. I’ll be seeing you by @daretomarvel​ / renlyne

Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles | 11,481

It’s 2028, and Nick’s bought a house.

My Rec: I love Ren’s writing and this Notebook inspired Gryles is a beautiful treat of a story, in which Nick starts buying little bits for his dream house. It’s hard to believe this story is just over 11,000 words because the world the author creates is so rich, detailed, layered and complex. The relationship between Nick and Harry has all of these gorgeous details and nuggets of history as it grows and develops, seedling-like, into something that might just be everything they’ve both been searching for. It’s a warm, hopeful, beautiful story but as it’s Ren, it manages to still tug at the heartstrings in the best kind of way. I read this again as I was putting my rec list together and did so with a lump in my throat, full of feels for the Nick and Harry of Ren’s universe. Gorgeous writing with bags of emotional intensity. I loved it.

#10. All I’ve ever had are love songs by @candybarrnerd / icarusinflight

Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson | 21,688

Things are finally coming together for Nick.

Nick is the DJ of his uni's radio stations, and he passively aggressively dedicates a song to Louis.

My Rec: Icarusinflight is another author who was already on my periphery from Harry Potter fandom who wrote their first Tomlinshaw fic this year and I was so thrilled to see them writing in this fandom and I’m very excited about their upcoming 2019 projects which also includes fics featuring the 1D boys in various ship combos. I love uni AUs and I hadn't read one for a while, so this was such a treat. I loved how Louis is sharp, sassy and confident but with niggling insecurities. Harry was so affectionately humorous in this story and Nick’s voice is wonderful. This is a really well-paced, enjoyable story with a hot af first kiss that deserves a mention all of its own. The music references, the tea and the cameos from various 1D members are all terrific and the writing is brilliant. Can’t wait for more from this author this year.

Bonus Rec: I was meant to limit this to just 10 recs but I also wanted to give a quick shout out to @nightwideopen. I’ve said this in previous rec lists before, but I am constantly impressed by the quality of @nightwideopen‘s writing and the way they explore things such as asexuality and gender dysphoria which can be harder to find in a relatively small fandom. I’d particularly rec so far (it’s alright) and i’ve been thinking lots about your mouth from this year, both Tomlinshaw.

[teashadephoenix]

2, 7, & 8 for the fic writer meme! :)

2: Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to? 

finishing something in a timely manner god I dont even know, honestly. Im terrible at thinking of things off the top of my head. like I sat here for… over an hour trying to think of stuff and dumpster diving through tumblr to find inspo for an answer to this and the answer is basically idk fam, Snowed In? i know Ive never written that for any fandom ever. (thats a terrible answer im sorry!)

7: Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

After the moon had climbed another hour into the sky, Geoff slapped his little book onto the grass and started taking down the telescope. Donna felt her heart begin to ache. Her time was up. More than anything, she wanted to stay here; better yet, take him with her. Into the TARDIS with the Doctor and show him everything he’d ever dreamed of.

She wished she could’ve asked him before he died. If she knew that she had taken him, then it wasn’t a paradox, it was time flowing exactly as it was meant to.

And that made it all right, didn’t it?

Heart in her throat, Donna looked up at her father, placed her hand on his arm. He looked down at her, blue eyes open and honest.

And she thought of the Doctor.

He had been so anxious, a tremulous veil of fear in his eyes when he suggested he bring her to her father, quiet voice when he wondered if she was up to it. He was a Time Lord, the guardian of everything temporal. She had seen him battle with himself over whether or not he could step in and change history, and the agony it caused him when he knew that he couldn’t, that he was the cause of tragedy.

Thinking on it, his behaviour today had made it all too clear that this event, seeing her father one last time and settling her own unnecessary insecurities, probably wasn’t meant to happen. And she wasn’t stupid enough to believe that her wanting it could change that.

Donna released a deep, shaking breath and let it go.

–

This bit is the climax of my Doctor Who fic Fathers and Daughters. The entire story centers on and builds up to this moment: Donna tempted by the innate human desire to save someone she loves, to spend every last second she can with her late father even if it means breaking the laws of time… and then accepting her father’s death and letting him go. Eight years later and I still love this fic and this moment.

8: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen Moana! It came out like, ages ago–”

Karen’s laugh pealed through the office even before Matt reached the door. “Why would I? I don’t have a gaggle of nieces sitting me through kids’ movies on my days off.”

“Excuses!” proclaimed Foggy.  "One does not need half-pint girls to enjoy a Disney film, anymore than one needs the full-grown ones to cry through a chick flick. I am a Renaissance man– I enjoy all things.“

The door creaked when Matt pushed through the frame, his hands occupied by his briefcase and cane.  "Hey Michelangelo, I thought you were going to WD-40 the hinges?”

“Good morning to you too, Raphael.”  Foggy’s grin was evident in his voice.  "Decided not to. How else are we going to be able to tell when we have clients?“

"We could get a bell. Like normal people,” said Karen.

“Shush, April.”

Karen mouthed April?, her breath only soft enough that Matt could hear, and he nodded at her.  "Ninja Turtles.“

Her incredulity hung in the air.  "Foggy, are you six?”

“Damn, you caught me.  I’m actually two kids stacked on top of each other in a trenchcoat.”  Something whipped across the room. A balled-up piece of paper, it sounded like.

“So I’m glad everybody had coffee today,” Matt interjected.  "Don’t we have work to do? Or some other… form of adulting?“

"Who called the fun police? Jeez mom, we’ll get right on it.”  Foggy was halfway back to his office before he stopped, stuck his head back out the door.  "Actually, dude, someone was just by for you. A lady caller.“  Matt could practically hear his eyebrows waggling suggestively.

"Oh– Foggy, that’s gross.”

“What? I happen to find nuns attractive.”

“It was Sister Maggie,” Karen supplied. Of course she’d find Foggy’s comment gross; she knew what he did not. Matt wondered if that counted as a secret. Difficult to bring up. Hey, remember how I didn’t have a mom? Turns out she was the nun who raised me in the orphanage…

–

annnd after that it gets plotty but jesus fuck that was fun to write. havent published it yet but its from my fic Father Figures which is the much-hyped dad!Matt fic. I like banter. I would not say I am good at it. So if I read it back and feel like its in character and natural, I am a happy Tea. This is one of those scenes.

[zeedesertfox]

The intersection of the Atomic Era and Armoured Design.

The TV-1 tank, pictured above.

For @vartoc , since he requested the TV-8 and Project Marauder. I’m adding in the TV-1, since Project Marauder is still classified (fucking bullshit is what that is), and I’ll get to it once the documents get declassified and/or I get my hands on the documents somehow.

To begin with, this was only to be an examination of the TV-8 prototype for an Atomic Tank, but it has morphed into a post on 4 separate vehicles, these being the R-32 Prototype for an Atomic tank, the TV-1 Prototype, the TV-8 prototype, and a small utility tractor, the C6, which was also an atomic powered towing/utility like vehicle.

Before we get into examining these peculiar vehicle designs, we have to examine the thought process that birthed these beasts. The Question I through IV meetings were held by the Ordnance Tank Automotive Command of the US’s Detroit Arsenal, which had historically designed and built the vast majority of US tanks for use by the United States Army.

For those of us who are on mobile you’re really missing out, but the above basically states that the first conference, Questionmark I, held in 1952, had a wide variety of tanks presented with a wide variety of specifications, ranging from light to heavy (for the time) armoured vehicles. The Questionmark II conference was held later that same year “and featured self-propelled artillery and antiaircraft” designs.

The Questionmark  III conference was held in the 17th and 18th of June, 1954. The conference had given projected dates categories for each design.

Designations of “T” and “W” have been given respectfully to tracked and wheeled vehicles, with special features that can be applied to those being given the designation of “F”. Alongside the above, the additional letters of “S”, “L”, and “V” designate the time frame, with “S” indicating a short time frame from design to production being within two years, “L” representing a longer time frame of a five year program, and “V” representing a very long range thinking program of over 5 years.

Therefore, “TS” would indicate a 2 year or less to production tracked vehicle. “WL” would indicate a wheeled vehicle which could be made available within five years.

In short, all of the following vehicles would be classified as either TL/TV (Not sure about the R-32, it doesn’t follow the naming convention of the TV-1 and TV-8), with the exception of the C-6 being classified as probably WV.

Disclaimer: I’m not entirely sure of the time frame for these vehicles but I believe it would have gone: R-32, TV-1, TV-8, C-6, although I’m not sure.

Opening up Questionmark III, we find...

Now then, it’s time to examine the R-32. 

As far as I’ve been able to gather, this design was in the running to replace the then venerable M-48.

As for the specifications of the vehicle, its standard as far as cold war tanks go as for weight.

I don’t know how to copy it as one image, sorry.

Understandably the designers had high hopes for this design, at least in terms of range, placing it at an estimated 4000 or more miles. I know of no other power-plant for a tank besides nuclear that could provide that level of range.

The above image is a result of the Questionmark IV conference. Later, with the development of the TV-1, a similar list of pros and cons exists, although with some changes as the designers re-assess their designs. 

The R-32 represented, at 50 tons, a lighter vehicle than previous Ordnance Tank Automotive Command nuclear powered studies, and was proposed as a possible replacement for the M-48 series of tanks.

The next design featured was the TV-1, the second in our lineup of atomic tank designs in this post.

Personally, I really do love the described doctrine of this vehicle. 

“Shock Action”

Cause let me tell you, I’m going to be a little nervous when a platoon of gosh darn ATOMIC tanks come a-thundering out of the tree-line at me.

Like an enraged M3-Lee, the TV-1 featured a multitude of turrets. 4 specifically, with 3 of them possessing what appears to be .50 cal machine guns.

20 tons heavier, the designers appear to have factored in perhaps a more realistic weight estimate for this prototype in comparison to the R-32. I also believe that the gas-turbine open air cycle atomic engine is similar in design to the USAF’s efforts in atomic engine design.

The gun was also increased from a 90mm gun to a 105. Progress!

If I’m correct, the armour estimate was a whopping 14 inches, and just judging from the visual curviness, the armour upgrade is really quite wonderful, although I’m not sure if it was worth the 20 ton increase in weight.

I do find it interesting that they put down, besides the obvious issues of cost and having a high silhouette, the issue of transportation. 

Any major body of water would halt this thing in its tracks, forcing it to commit ground troops to a difficult or at least time consuming bridge construction. The weight may also prevent the vehicle from crossing some smaller bridges.

One possible use for either the R-32 or the TV-1 would be to pull non-atomic vehicles along, in a land train, in order to conserve non-atomic fuel and to reduce wear and tear on vehicles.

Now, I’m sure the troubling issue of a lack of water fording capability nagged the designers quite badly. I’m sure it would bug me quite heavily were I them, then.

And so, we move on to TV-8, the most iconic of the nuclear tanks, as far as I can tell, and for good reason.

“Subsequent to the ASTRON meeting on 17-18 May, Chrysler Corporation presented a separate proposal for an unusual tank designated as the TV-8. This design located the entire crew, armament, and power plant in a pod shaped turret mounted above a lightweight chassis. The total weight was estimated to be 25 tons with about 15 tons in the turret and 10 tons in the chassis. The two were separable for shipment by air.“

R. P. Hunnicutt, D. P. Dyer, Dan Graves, Uwe Feist-Abrams_ A History of the American Main Battle Tank-Presidio Press (1990), Pg. 36.

(The full size mockup of the TV-8).

(Since the source I’m copying from words this much better than I can, I’ll just pull direct quotations).

“The TV-8 was armed with the 90mm gun T208 rigidly mounted in the turret and fitted with an hydraulic ramming device. The 90mm ammunition stowage was in the rear of the turret separated from the crew by a steel bulkhead. Secondary armament consisted of two coaxial .30 caliber machine guns and one remote controlled .50 caliber machine gun on the turret top operated by the tank commander. Closed circuit television was provided to protect the crew from the flash of tactical nuclear weapons and to increase the field of vision.” Ibid.

“On the phase I TV-8, a Chrysler V-8 engine developing 300 gross horsepower was coupled to an electric generator in the rear of the turret. This generator supplied power to the two electric motors in the front hull. One motor drove each of the two 28 inch wide tracks. Other power plants were considered for later development including a gas turbine electric drive, a vapor cycle power plant with hydrocarbon fuels, and finally a vapor cycle power plant with nuclear fuel. The fuel tanks for the phase I vehicle were located in the hull separating them from the crew in the turret.“ Ibid.

“Space was provided in the heavily armored inner turret for a crew of four, although only two were required to operate the tank, the gunner and the driver. These two were located in the front at the right and left of the cannon respectively. The driver could operate fully protected inside the turret or with his head and shoulders exposed above the roof. The tank commander was at the right rear with the loader on his left. The heavily armored inner turret was surrounded by a light outer shell that gave the turret its podlike appearance. This shell was watertight creating sufficient displacement to allow the vehicle to float. Propulsion in the water was by means of a water jet pump installed in the bottom rear of the turret. The outer turret shell was of sufficient thickness to detonate shaped charge rounds and it acted as spaced armor to help protect the inner turret. The turret was supported by an assembly which rotated in a ring in the hull roof and it was moved in elevation by two large hydraulic cylinders. The TV-8 was 352 inches long with the gun forward, 134 inches wide, and 115 inches high over the remote controlled machine gun.” Ibid.

“The three ASTRON proposals, as well as the TV-8 design, were reviewed and it was concluded that they did not offer sufficient advantages over the conventional medium gun tank to justify further development.”  Ibid.

As one can easily see with the picture above, I’m sure the designers were tickled pink by fixing the transportability issue. Not only is it air transportable, it also possesses a self fording capability, as well as being atomic powered to boot!

To conclude this atomic tale, we shall examine perhaps the supply vehicle that would have been behind all these atomic behemoths. 

The -

Wanted by the Transportation corps, the C-6 was to feature the ability to move large cargo in bulk, across open country, snow fields and other adverse terrain with an “Essentially unlimited cruising range”.

All in all, it would be armed with presumably a updated kraut-mo- Pardon,-

An updated quad .50 cal system, all the while having a great range, and a very good hauling capability. The only issue spotted was the the design would not be amphibious.

And those are just some of the atomic ideas of the 1950s. To conclude, I’ll leave you with a closing statement made up of snippets from the sources.

Sources

http://atomic-skies.blogspot.ca/2016/08/atomic-powered-tanks-part-1.html

http://atomic-skies.blogspot.ca/2016/08/atomic-powered-tanks-part-2-tank-harder.html

QuestionMark III

.   Ordnance Tank Automotive Command, Detroit Arsenal, 1954.

QuestionMark IV

.   Ordnance Tank Automotive Command, Detroit Arsenal, 1955. 

R. P. Hunnicutt, D. P. Dyer, Dan Graves, Uwe Feist-Abrams  A History of the American Main Battle Tank-Presidio Press (1990)

Hunnicutt, R. P., and D. P. Dyer. Firepower: a history of the American heavy tank. Novato, CA: Presidio, 1988.

If anyone needs/wants the sources, I have them, just send me a message.

[wyattvsmusic]

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V ALBUM REVIEW

I started this site the year Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter V was supposed to be released. If you go way back and look at my early posts relating to Wayne, I talk about C5 a lot. The fact that this album even dropped is a big deal to me so I will start this review with a lengthy history lesson: Lil Wayne was one of the first 4 rappers I started listening to when I got into hip hop at the age of 7. Wayne definitely hit a rough patch in his career during the Dedication 4/I Am Not A Human Being 2/Dedication 5 era. By 2013, Lil Wayne had released some of his worst work in his career (IANAHB2 is still laugh-out-loud funny) so announcing another Carter album was a big deal. Despite what others might say about Tha Carter IV, I actually think it’s a very good album and in 2014 it was the last good album he had dropped. During that year, Lil Wayne started dropping great single after great single in promotion for Tha Carter V. Believe Me, D’usse, Krazy, Grinding, and Gotti were all fantastic. The songs had me so excited for C5 but then he ran into label troubles. The album was pushed nowhere to be found on October 23 and was pushed back to December 9. Wayne then confirmed that Tha Carter V would be a double disc. In these 4 years of label troubles, Lil Wayne still hasn’t been quiet in terms of musical output. He told us he was Sorry 4 The Wait again on a just above mediocre mixtape but then dropped the Free Weezy Album which I thought was pretty good even though a lot of people hated it. He dropped the sequel to my favorite mixtape of his No Ceilings and it was definitely an unworthy followup. The In Tune We Trust EP was skippable and his collab albums with 2 Chainz and T-Pain were also pretty forgettable. Recently, Wayne came back with bars on bars with the Dedication 6 and the D6 Reloaded mixtapes. Tha Carter V is Lil Wayne’s first album to not be released on Cash Money records and he now has control over his label Young Money. I really love how he stuck with the original cover revealed in 2014. I wondered if the album would sound very dated or if it had been updated to keep with the times. The answer is that the album sounds a little bit like both. There’s really something on here for every type of Wayne fan. I got excited when I heard that first lighter flick but I was immediately disappointed when I heard XXXTentacion moaning on the fucking hook. If the whole album sounded like that, this would’ve been letdown of the decade. The next track, Dedicate totally slaps. It samples 2 Chainz’s Dedication song on their collab album. Wayne just goes in. The song after that, Uproar is an instant standout. Even though I’d like Swizz Beatz to shut up and stick to beats and stop talking on songs, I loved the beat that samples G. Dep’s Special Delivery. The beat had me going instantly and Wayne was just killing it. Tha Carter V is the best Wayne has rapped in years. His rapping is the best thing about this album. He’s got tracks where he is just snapping. He goes off on Hittas which totally knocks. The song opens with a snippet from his legendary deposition and then he goes off. The song Dope N****z has some westcoast flavor with a sample of Dr. Dre’s Xxplosive and Snoop Dogg contributes to the track also. Weezy has some stories to tell on the album. He snapped on Mona Lisa. He told a story about using a woman to set a man up for Wayne to rob him. He had some dope lines like: “That bitch ain’t no angel, I treat her halo like a frisbee” and “They started french kissing so they didn’t see moi.” Kendrick Lamar is also on the track and kills it but I don’t know if he outrapped Weezy. The last song (probably my favorite track) Let It All Work Out includes a story about when Wayne “accidentally” shot himself as a kid. He reveals at the end of the song that it wasn’t an accident but an attempt at suicide. It’s rare we’ve heard Wayne that vulnerable especially in this day and age. That song really gave me chills and it was a perfect closer. Yes I do like this album a lot. It is probably the best work he’s put out in a while but there is a lot of filler and the album is way too long. He should have cut at least 8 songs from this album. Open Safe has this basic DJ Mustard beat that Wayne sounds really uncomfortable on. Used 2 kind of messes up the vibe of the end of the album and is one of the more forgettable tracks on the album. Plus, he already has a song called Used To. The song with Travis Scott had potential to be good but they played it too safe. Wayne has never had the best ear for production but the majority of the beats were pretty great. As previously mentioned, Swizz Beatz supplied the fire on Uproar. The beat on Demon is super soulful and Mannie Fresh delivers a dope as beat that people can party to with Start This Shit Off Right. Ashanti sounds great on the song but this leads into my last gripe with the album: hooks. XXXTentacion and Travis Scott have some of the worst hooks but the hook on Can’t Be Broken was so bad. He should’ve had Ashanti do a hook because she can actually sing. Tunechi’s daughter, Reginae Carter does the hook on the introspective track, Famous. The hook is a little basic but I think it went well with the song to be honest. The worst track on this album was easily Dark Side Of The Moon and it’s all because of Nicki Minaj. She should not be allowed to try and hit high-notes on the final recording of a song. She started okay but it got worse and worse. All the complaints I have with this album aren’t really about Wayne because even on the worst tracks, Wayne’s rapping is still good. There aren’t any terrible lines that I noticed in the 5 or 6 times I listened to this album but I do think this album is very good despite some problems. Weezy F Baby and the F is for PHIVE!

Fav Tracks: Dedicate, Uproar, Mona Lisa, Hittas, Demon, Let It All Work Out

[lumos-star684]

All of them. Just to be a pain

Can’t believe I’m about to answer these but its either this or a marketing assignment so here goes…

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

more cereal

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

Yes! 

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

blank revision cards and raffle tickets

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

white with sugar

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

yes

6: do you keep plants?

non but i would like to (in fact, I’m going to buy one next week)

7: do you name your plants?

nope

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

none im not very creative :(

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

yep

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

side or stomach usually

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

hmmm can’t think of this (wait you should know this any idea?)

12: what’s your favorite planet?

Pluto

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

my little niece started talking to me about flying pigs

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

like the friends apartment with loads of little quirky shit

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

Venus is the only planet that spins backwards relative to the other planets.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?

good ole simple pasta with tomato sauce and cheese

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

dark purple 

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

i have no stories omg 

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

non

20: what’s your favorite eye color?

don’t have one in particular, depends on the person really 

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

there was my little karrimor rucksack that i had all throughout (most of ) secondary school and it broke on the day before the last day of Year 11 but still holds a special place in my heart

22: are you a morning person?

nooooooooo (unless its morning where you’ve been up all night)

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

make tea and watch tv

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

nope (i don’t have a lot of secrets though??)

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?

a hotel kitchen (by accident i should add)

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

at the moment, my black boots

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?

mint?? idek

28: sunrise or sunset?

sunset

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

there’s this one little shit that always sends me asks on tumblr

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

yes

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about sock

socks, my friend, are a fucking brilliant invention. i have a bit of love-hate relationship with socks because i feel like they confine your feet (i mean why would you want to lock your feet into little pockets of cloth?) but on the other hand THEY’RE SO CUTE. little socks with funky patterns and little animals and the super soft house socks as well. having said that, all my socks are black with either pink purple or blue on the foot and heel parts. SO, my favourite thing to do is always wear mismatched socks - but nobody can tell because the main part of the sock is black. It’s like a little secret I can wear all day knowing that my socks are not the same even though it looks like they are.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

we’d just left a club in prague and headed over to burger king. we sat down and then out of nowhere in the middle of prague this group of gujarati kids came and sat down next to us. I had a conversation with them and forgot that the other girls hadn’t the foggiest idea what the fuck we were talking about. we were leaving and then one of them asked me to marry him……

33: what’s your fave pastry?

er…something with chocolate? or apples

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

there was this little black dog that used to be my sister’s, i can’t remember what i used to call him but I’ve still got him somewhere

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

I absolutely love them but can never bring myself to use them (I eventually did and my Latin notes are so fucking pretty)

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

Bahamas

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

messy but organised messy

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

when people walk slowly in the middle of the street and when people think they’re better than you

39: what color do you wear the most?

black

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?

i have a little harry potter necklace i got for my 16th which i wear almost every day

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

me before you

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

don’t like coffee shops much

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

nobody

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

last sunday

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

no lol they’re shit

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

all puns are good puns

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

ermm dunnoo

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

can’t remember exactly what my biggest fear was, but it’s not the same as today (although probably quite similar)

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

nope don’t own any

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

empty glue sticks

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

you - la vie en rose

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

LOOL some of the trump and theresa may ones have been pretty good

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

no but they’re all on my list to watch

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

probably a stranger on the train

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

moved out 

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

people tagging in posts and memes

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

currently ill in bed so i didn’t even move -_-

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

keef is the wine mom and i reckon you will be the vodka aunt :)

59: what’s your favorite myth?

there was this one where zeus was cheating on hera and when he got caught he turned the woman into a cow

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

yes! usually just snippets i read on the internet though

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

given is what we gave keef and received…i don’t think ive ever received a stupid gift?

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

sometimes yes, either the innocent strawberry and banana smoothie or the orange and passionfruit tropicana

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

music yes, it all has to be in particular playlists and books no, they’re just stacked randomly

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

bright blueee

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?

you :( and a couple of people from school actually

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

tiny little black red and purple flowers

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

a bit eh actually, but also nice if i’m inside and in bed

68: what’s winter like where you live?

not great, just a bit grim and rainy and no snow

69: what are your favorite board games?

monopolyyyy

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

nope

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?

breakfast tea

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?

1000000% yes

73: what are some of your worst habits?

picking at the skin around my fingers and overthinking (the standard tbh)

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

newcastle born and bred sarcastic little shit who can be a bit annoying but also has a heart of gold

75: tell us about your pets!

MY LITTLE BABYYYYY Goghi is my cat - black with little white paws, a white stripe down her front and a white moustache. Softest fucking fur EVER. She has one funny eye, hates people and sleeps all day. I also have about twenty fish in the pond and two little ones in a tank inside. Varying sizes and no names

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

a marketing assignment, the laundry and cleaning my room 

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

noooo idea..

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

fanclub. they’re one in a minion those things

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

little things like when people come and see me i cant think of a particular example

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

beige and nope we just painted the whole house that colour

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

*can’t remember what anyone’s eyes look like*

82: are/were you good in school?

yeah i was a pretty good student

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

the airborne toxic event and green day’s american idiot

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

yesss but not sure yet!

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

nope

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

i have never heard of concept albums (upon googling it appears i do like some of them, yes)

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

3 idiots, dead poets society and kuch kuch hota hai amongst others

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

non

89: are you close to your parents?

eh

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

Londonnn - its just….everything (but also expensive)

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina  and hopefully a couple of other city breaks

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

drowns

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

hair down if its straight or pony tail if its curly

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

my little cousin’s birthday was yesterday

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

stay in be all weekend drink tea and eat soup

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

procrastinate, all the time

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

INTJ/INTP, gemini and ravenclaw

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

ncs? loved it but also hated it because i don’t like climbing

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

Current favourites: Sometime Around Midnight, Vampire Smile and Wasn’t Expecting That

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

Future - five years ago i was there and twas a bit shite

oh my god you don’t know how long those took me YOU BETTER READ THEM ALL @findinganiqa XXX

[chickenricestore]

rote

@jess-jessitiz ive been lowkey lurking in wait to drag more people into these wonderful books but please dont be afraid. also, sorry this is so long. feel free to skim or just skip, its entirely, completely your choice. 

okay so rote is really RotE, which stands for Realm of the Elderlings. The Realm of the Elderlings universe is a book universe that has been lovingly crafted by Robin Hobb (Megan Lindholm), author extraordinaire and destroyer of my heart.

its a high fantasy series (yes, it comes with maps) in a wonderful, lush, diverse land called the six duchies, and you’ll learn in little snippets throughout the book about the culture and history of the land (more on this later). 

i wrote up a book rec for this here  and another one here, so if youd like to save yourself some time you can go for either of those, but i will scream about the farseer trilogy all day so if youd like to go the long way: 

to simplify a little, rote begins with the farseer trilogy, which centres around this guy fitz, the unfortunate bastard of next-in-line-for-the-throne prince chivalry, who promptly abdicates when news of fitz’s existence goes public. 

(i feel like i should mention here that you will almost definitely cry reading this series. continue~)

fitz... the whole family dynamic for fitz is really screwed up. he grows up under the care of his father’s right-hand man, burrich, and then somebody gets this really great idea that a bastard would make a wonderful assassin. i mean, practically speaking, they are right, but as assassin training will do, it leaves fitz with a whole ton of issues.

throw in a nation at war with a mindlessly destructive enemy, add in infighting within the royal family, pour in some poison...

fitz goes through a lot. he tends to throw himself into things with all of his heart, and he’s never really been taught to have self-worth. consequently he hurts himself a lot in the course of doing his ‘duty’. he has to make so many choices, and so often its his own health and happiness that end up on the rotten side of the deal.

remember what i said about throwing himself into things? well, it shows in the narrative. its so immersive, it’s like you’re really there in fitz’s head, experiencing what he experienced. 

fitz is actually a really good guy. he tries his best, and he’s got a solid sense of morality, despite what he’s been trained and told to do. he really just tries to do what’s right, and his inner conflict is a very interesting part of the books. his whole character is shaped by it. 

when you watch him grow up, and you see all the differing influences on him, you get a really good understanding of how and why he’s become what he is now, which i find really interesting. it’s in part because you really do watch him grow up, from about six years old onwards, and its truly a fascinating experience (there’s some really, really good meta out there on fitz, which i wont link you to yet because of spoilers). oh, bless the character development. its like nothing you’ve ever seen. 

i also really enjoy the structure of the book. it follows chronologically, but at the start of chapters you get these bits of text, sometimes ‘excerpts’ of in-universe books that give you information (interestingly, this is not always true information, it is sometimes used to reflect societal views on something or how time has warped information), or poems, or songs.

(i didnt know where to put this because as you may be able to tell, this wasnt exactly structured, but rote has such a cool take on heroism)

also, if diversity affects your perspective on books: rote is so diverse. fitz and his family are canonically dark-skinned with curly hair, and fitz goes out of his way to describe white people as ‘pale’ (kettricken, who i love with all of my heart), as well as those who are ‘golden-skinned’. there are many, many strong female characters, who drive their own plot and whose choices are respected and are fully fleshed-out characters (kettricken, molly, my loves, i would die for you), older women who are still absolutely forces to be reckoned with and who fitz deeply respects (patience and lacey, who i would also die for), genderless prophet, influence of other cultures, such a great focus on animals (remember how i said you’d cry? yeah), dragons (i should say now that rote’s take on dragons is nuanced and tragic and one of the most thoughtful interpretations i have ever seen when it comes to dragons), magic (aha, the magic. the uses, the costs... again, tragic). you also get to see the nitty-gritty of things (mistress hasty, the seamstress, cook sara, they run the castle and you see them doing it).

i do feel like this description isnt doing it justice, because its just that good. its so complex. worldbuilding, character development, tricky moral choices, the many, many characters you will fall in love with... the humour. 

trigger warnings (off the top of my head) are as follows, because the series really does not shy away from these things: child abuse, child neglect, bullying, alcohol/alcoholism, detailed blood/gore/injury, broken family, violence, drugs, bodily fluids, weapons, illness, poison, animal death, torture, character death, prison/cells, emotional manipulation, rape mention, suicide, murder, homophobia, mental illness, depression, suicidal tendencies, pregnancy/labour, hate crimes, discrimination, prejudice, lynching. there’s more, probably, feel free to ask. 

now, if you’ve read this far and still want more, here’s a very quick selection of my favourite rote posts:

this one

this one

this one too

and this one in particular

and this last one

anyway if youre still here, cheers for sticking with me through this. i do hope you’ll pick up the books and give them a try, it is hands-down my favourite series. 

cheers, have a great day!

[20smthngrp-blog]

                                        ( IM CHAEYEON, 24 )

Name: Im Chaeyeon Date of Birth: 1993/11/04 Occupation: Actress

SPARKNOTES:

i. Born in Seoul to a couple whose last reason to marry was most probably love. ii. Her mother signs her up to an acting agency when she is five, she participates in a few CFs before she has her first minor role in a drama. iii. She is studious and always knows her lines. A model child to all except her mother. There is no affection in her good night kisses. iv. One national hit after another. The prickly nights lost in her trailer as she drags herself through the endless pit that high school is at the age of seventeen. v. She doesn’t go to college. Instead, she packs her bags upon receiving a call from Hollywood. Maybe she just wanted to feel less homesick to a home she never really had. vi. People see a greatness in her and mistake it for some sort of goodness but all along Chaeyeon knows there is nothing there. vii. The message of her father’s death is a footnote in a letter her mother sent her. Somehow she is glad. Now she can form a romanticized version of him in her head, a version that actually cared. viii. A bottle on her lips and a line on the table make things easier and more difficult at the same time. ix. Los Angeles is a pit that had already swallowed and spat her out entirely by the time she realizes nothing holds her here. Not welcome, just another child actor who took a wrong turn, one out of many. x. The thought of Seoul turns her stomach, a world where everything has been left on fire. And yet, somehow that feeling is more inviting than more second under the Californian sun.

FREEFORM:

eight.

Mid July and her smile is wide and effortless. The dry heat of the summer lays heavy and she has been going at it for days - a weary traveler, a foolish and gentle spy. A young Chaeyeon lurks through life like it is an old house, teasing the wallpaper until it falls down. Layer by layer, story by story. Motions to people with the edge of her voice, with a change of her expression. They say her talents overflow, they stem from her never-ending curiosity. Outside the cityscape of Seoul, she is sitting on the curb, wearing dried up converse, a sweaty brow and the guilt of giftedness on her shoulders as she yet again slowly reads her lines in the loosely bound script. Sometimes reading the lines out loud drowns the noise of her parents’ heated arguments, sometimes it doesn’t. Her mother is there, the hummed tunes slowly fading in exchange for sobs. Her father is there and she is supposed to think that she is exceptional. It all comes natural to her, the eagerness she displays is extraordinary to others but a mere flow of nature to her, like she never did anything else than telling a story through the screen.

twelve.

Mid November and the sky is greying. She doesn’t say much behind the camera and by now people know better than to light all the dark rooms in her house. And she can feel it, the tide of the past July. It’s like this one morning she looks across the dinner table and everything that has ever been left unspoken was being said. No one ever had to tell Chaeyeon anything, she always managed to overhear snippets of her family’s arguments, the sight of her mother with a black eye grows too familiar. Chaeyeon can see it now, the way her mother speaks in dim lit words, the way her name escapes her parents’ mouths with little feeling and even more pity. There is no love in their good night kisses. Summer returns with a vengeance, to collect its debts. How often do we wear smiles that hurt, smiles that tell us we have burned too long? Chaeyeon feels heavy and the worst thing is, she knows the weather of leaving; the stale air, the dry summer heart.

When Chaeyeon grows old enough to understand the poisonous hatred carefully cultivated between her mother and father, her whole body tells a story of pain, like a sickness she refuses to treat. This is why she dislikes summer. The smell of warm summer rain hitting the dark pavement brings her back and it carries the memory of a Seoul she never wants to encounter again. Occasionally, every second in front of a camera feels like an eternity, every line a painful burden. But once in a while a director’s praise has the same soothing comfort her mother’s warm embrace used to give her. At times it is difficult to continue to be radically soft in a world that sometimes gives more vinegar than honey.

seventeen.

Lately she has been trying to dream of something more, but how could it be any different? She negotiates with her quiet, she wanders, she bleeds. But no matter where Chaeyeon goes, she returns to the Han river. And tries to dream again. Her mother once told her she is like a song played on loop. Enjoyable for a few listens until it bothers you and blends into the background. Funnily enough, she always seeks to be present. Like, really present. Feeling every chill crisp morning running through her spine and the sore movement of her legs carrying her forward after another long day of shooting. One national hit after another. The prickly nights lost in her trailer as she drags herself through the endless pit that school is at the age of seventeen. Cold fingers reaching for a scarf that smells like that place she used to call home. Maybe Chaeyeon just wanted to feel less homesick to a home she never had when she accepted a call from Hollywood and packed her bags. She knows she holds onto her misery like it’s her child, aware of its flaw but unwilling to let go. By now, she has convinced herself she was born with a leak and any goodness she ever contained just slowly spilled out of her and now it’s all gone. She holds onto acting like it serves some purpose, the only interest that flourishes under her fingertips. A strange creature who is folded twice over her own soul with layers and layers of a charcoal night.

twenty-one.

Los Angeles had folks speaking in idioms and empty platitudes. She felt far away, as if she could go on and plagiarize identities for a while and no one would notice - it was an odd pretending and profoundly unsettling. But at its core was the yearning to bring this chapter of history to an end; an azure haze of words and fragments. It was at that time she realized she was terrified of nothing. How people came up to her, wanting her autograph and pictures. How they thought they recognized something in her, saw themselves in someone she pretended to be by reading from a script and wanting to be the person they thought she was - but she wasn’t. People see a greatness in her and mistake it for some sort of goodness but all along Chaeyeon knows there is nothing there.

By now, she is a messy open book. She lets people probe her wounds, a few trickle deep within the tiny empire she had built within her chest, and somehow the foundation shakes very little and she gives them her country. And Chaeyeon knows she told herself one late evening in her kitchen that people are not homes, but god, she could build gardens in her loved ones’ smile, only to tear them down again. She heals with a terrible intensity. Nights ago, a numbness consumed her and she wished to be swallowed up by the dark earth. Too many vowels in her mouth, too many crumpled up receipts in her pockets. Her mouth twisted into rivers, pouring into too many oceans at once. At times, she says quite a lot and nothing at all. She always takes too much and gives too little. Reaches for people and finds salvation in the gaps of their words, only to wreak havoc again. Pushes and destructs, disappears like mist rising in the sky. It is always the same. They come for her storm and flee for calmer waters. No one writes a song about hurricanes.

twenty-four.

You hungry girl. Never saw a woman more in love with the humming of the fridge. Forever pacing the moonlight, loving in all directions. Reckless hand combing through one of her lover’s hair, frenzied eyes, kissing boys and girls half awake. Says ‘no’ to no one because she wants people to like her. No wonder the people come to her at 5 in the morning with a broken heart; heart like a cigarette that won’t stay lit and by next week, she will be in love with some other creature. Leaving her body at the altar of a church that doesn’t exist. She takes lovers like religions, converts at the first smile, gives them a litany of sighs. And by the end of it all, she has renounced her own name and become more of a sinner than a saint, the almond moon as witness.

Suddenly it is dark out, a mid-autumn evening where the horizon blurs into the velvet sky. The poison inside her - the one that makes her destroy everything she touches, the one that is her legacy - it seems to be cancelled out by other poisons. She is convinced one day pouring and shovelling other toxins into her body will counteract the ugliness inside her, the curse of being broken that seems to be her birthright. Only to find out there is no cure for that. Los Angeles is a pit that had already swallowed and spat her out entirely by the time she realizes nothing holds her here. Not welcome, just another child actor who took a wrong turn, one out of many. Things are hazy now; the misunderstood and the haphazard river. The thought of Seoul turns her stomach, a world where everything has been left on fire. And yet, it is better than the charred, grime, the smell of burnt plastic in Los Angeles. Seoul seems to be a land of constant spring time, reminding children to dream again. Here is the scent of jasmine and here are her poison hands, cutting into everything.