#may you enjoy this rambling overview

[shepscapades]

DBHC [Detroit Become Hermitcraft] AU MASTERPOST

This is a compiled list of links to every major dbhc post, including links to art, a list of tags that I use to organize everything for this au on my blog, character tags, and any other content for the au that you may want to specifically look for! I will do my best to update this Masterpost with every new major post I publish, so feel free to keep checking the original post (not reblogs, which will not retain edits) for new content! (Likewise, if you stumble upon a link that doesn't seem right, please feel free to let me know!)

Everything is organized below the read more by an Overview of information about the au and content organized by character. Within each character's section, posts are organized in a narrative chronological order-- NOT the order in which the posts were published. Most characters are organized in groups so links do not appear more than once.

Thank you for reading and enjoying my silly au! It's baffling to me how many people have found an interest in or love for this project, and everyone's support, encouragement, and general insanity means the world to me! <3

OVERVIEW

Dbhc, or the Detroit Become Hermitcraft AU, is an au that started as a joke and very quickly stopped being a joke LKFJGDG It’s called Detroit Become Hermitcraft, but not really because it has anything to do with the base game DBH– really, I only yoinked the android mechanics and inserted them into the minecraft-based world of hermitcraft. It’s an au that starts in Hermitcraft Season 8 (aka, many of the first androids were built for the beginning of s8 in this au), meaning that the seasons prior in this au do not technically have those hermits as part of their history. The Life Series are canon to this au, but like earlier hermitcraft seasons, 3rd Life is missing all of the android hermits due to it having taken place prior to HC Season 8.

GUIDE TO ANDROIDS - An official guide to how androids function, for those unfamiliar with dbh androids!

TAG LIST

#dbhc – any and everything dbhc! #dbhc art – any art, comics, or silly doodles that feature the dbhc characters #dbhc ask – any response to an ask or submission that I answer related to dbhc– could be silly asks or asks related to lore! #dbhc music – any art or asks in which I speak about the music on the dbhc playlists or use the songs as inspiration for art of the narrative #dbhc fanart – any dbhc art not made by me! #dbhc fanfic – any dbhc writing not written by me! #dbhc writing – works of writing that either I’ve done or works that I consider canon to the au! (see below for links to each of these works) #dbhc sillies – these are usually asks I’ve answered that include ridiculous doodles or humorous references to more serious or angsty lore posts #dbhc theories – not a consistent tag, but something I decided to start using for asks that have interesting theories that I don't want to confirm or deny. Also used in general for large theory-based asks/my reactions to them #dbhc mechanics – any explanations related to the way the androids function [i'm still currently in the process of going back through everything and working this tag in!] #dbhc ref – official reference sheets for the characters #dbhc explained – Any major comic that I've broken down into explained details and ramblings!

CHARACTER TAG LIST:

Character tags will be listed as #dbhc [name]. They contain both art of those characters and any mentions/discussions of them from asks. If a character is discussed or shown in any capacity, those posts should have the respective character tags! I believe these are all of the characters discussed/referenced so far:

#dbhc android 24 || #dbhc beef || #dbhc bdubs || #dbhc cleo || #dbhc cub || #dbhc doc || #dbhc etho || #dbhc false || #dbhc gem || #dbhc grian || #dbhc hypno || #dbhc impulse || #dbhc iskall || #dbhc jevin || #dbhc joe || #dbhc joel || #dbhc jimmy || #dbhc keralis ||#dbhc mumbo || #dbhc pearl || #dbhc ren || #dbhc scar || #dbhc skizz || #dbhc tango || #dbhc wels || #dbhc xb || #dbhc xisuma || #dbhc zed

CHARACTER POST LIST

Since Tumblr has a link embed limit of 100, I had to move every character section to it's own post :[ Which is a little annoying, but giving each character group their own post will hopefully prevent any issues going forward as I continue to add to the au without fear of hitting a link limit.

As mentioned above, the below individual posts are organized by Characters or Groups of Characters. Within each section, drawings are organized by NARRATIVE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (Not the order in which they were posted/published).  These links contain links to posts/art specifically centered around the characters they're listed under. All posts that have a collection of characters, moments, or drawings not centered around any one specific character/characters will be found under "Other Drawings!" Stuff from Secret Life, Decked out, and other silly drawings can be found there. Character's are often cameo'd all over the place, so if you're looking for all of the content of a specific character, your best bet is perusing their respective character tag (listed above)! The posts below are to present a better/more cohesive idea of the ordered narrative of each character.

ETHO + BDUBS

MUMBO + CO.

DOC + CO.

IMPULSE + CO.

TANGO + CO.

CUB + CO.

JOE + CO.

SKIZZ + CO.

XISUMA + 24 + CO.

XB + CO.

OTHER DRAWINGS [GROUPS/COLLECTIONS]

WRITING WORKS

[x] Don't Let it Reach the Heart (Coming Soon!)

Canon Events. To Me (by other authors!) <3

[x] @tunastime Gear of the Heart, Turning [ethubs] [x] @tunastime Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? [docsuma]

Fanfic Works I consider closely adjacent to canon:

[x] @set-in-stardust [ethubs first kiss!] [x] @set-in-stardust [s9 reset etho re-deviates] [x] @drachis917 [Impulse meets Gem!] [x] @listentothelittlebird [A Visit To Doc's Skyblock Jail]

[reallychaoticwoo]

Hi babe!! How do you think the different ateez members would be with a gf who is a single mom? Especially if a 1 y/o baby girl? I see all of them as girl dads, but truly you can choose any age or gender for the baby. Also, for obvious reasons, fem reader :). Love you 💕💕

Hello again doll 🖤🖤 Of course I am more than happy to do this as a momma myself 🖤 🎬Overview: Ateez members meeting you and your 4 year old daughter for the first time and what became of it.

‼️This is gonna have to be a two parter, so bare with me 😅😅 I may have gotten a bit carried away. I did get my sister's help with these so everyone say thank you lol 🖤🖤

❤️Pairing: individual ot8 x reader

⚠️Warnings: Probably some cussing, mentions of dead father, Wooyoung being a little shit. Let me know if I missed anything

✨️This is purely for entertainment purposes and does not represent the idols in any way

🖤As always I hope you enjoy!

🧸Ateez meeting Y/N, a single mom. Part 1🧸

Part two

Hongjoong:

Walking into the music store wasn't something you expected to be doing today, but your daughter would not let up about wanting to learn to play the guitar, and she just needed to go look at some right now. So you gave in, taking her inside and looking around. You'd gotten a little distracted looking at a violin, reminiscing over when you used to play, when your daughter slipped away. Of course, she headed straight for the guitars. They were only a few feet away, and she ran straight into a man with burnt orange hair stumbling back a bit before catching herself. "Oh, uh, what are you doing in her cutie? Where's your parents?" He asked her, looking around, trying to find anyone who seemed like they were missing a child. Just that second you rounded the corner, "Oh sweetie, there you are! I told you not to leave my side." You said, looking at her sternly, before turning to look at the man, "I am so sorry about that. I looked away for two seconds." He assured you it was fine, asking your daughter why she was running to the guitars in the first place. "Oh, she wants to learn to play and insisted I bring her to look at them. I figured looking wouldn't hurt. I'd get her one, but I know absolutely nothing about guitars or where to even begin trying to find a teacher." You started rambling. He was gorgeous, and you found yourself a little embarrassed and flustered as he listened to what you were saying. He chuckled, noticing how you seemed a little overwhelmed, "I could help you find one if you'd like. I play a little, so I definitely know the best ones for beginners and more advanced options."He offered. You smiled shyly, nodding at him in thanks. Your daughter, however, had other plans, "Mommyyy, he said he plays!! He could teach me! Can the pretty man teach me, Mommy? Plleaaasseeeee??" She begged looking at you with pleading eyes. You glanced at him, a look of shock and mild panic on his face, before looking back to your daughter. "Now sweetie, I'm sure he's very busy we can't just go demanding lessons from strangers." Your daughter turned to look at him, giving him her best puppy dog eyes and lip pout to this day, "Pleaaaaseeeee will you teach me to play the guitar pretty man? Pllleeeeeaaaaassseeeeee.." She begged. He chuckled at the nickname given to him by your four year old and kneeled down to be eye level with her. "I will teach you one thing if you promise to listen to your pretty mommy and be good for her." He said, patting her head. "Okay, I'll be good!" She exclaimed, looking up at you with the biggest cheesiest grin on her face. He sat down with her and explained one of the easiest chords he knew to her, smiling brightly when she picked it up rather quickly. Heading back to you, smiling brightly, "Mommy, the pretty man taught me to play guitar!" Your daughter beamed at you. "Honey, I'm sure the pretty man has a name." You said, smiling down at her enthusiasm. "I do, it's Hongjoong." He said, looking at you with a smile. "Well, Hongjoong, thank you for taking time to teach her something. I really appreciate it. I'd love to maybe take you out to dinner sometime? As a thank you." You said smiling warmly at him. "If teaching her one chord gets me a date with her pretty mom, then she may have just found herself a teacher. He replied, handing you his phone with a cheeky wink.

Seonghwa:

Your daughter was exploring the Lego store and came across a big Star Wars set, "Mommy! Mommy! Can I get that one?? Pweeaaaseeee!?!" She asked, giving you her best puppy dog eyes and pouty lip. "Sweetheart, we can't afford that.. I'm sorry." You sighed, patting her head, "why don't we keep looking, I'm sure we'll find something." Seonghwa couldn't help but overhear and walked over. "I don't mean to intrude, but I couldn't help but overhear this sweet baby asking for that big Star Wars set. I just bought this one and realized I already have one at home. If mom doesn't mind, I'd be more than happy to give it to her." He was smiling down at your daughter before looking up at you awaiting your reply. "Are you sure? It's okay really, we were going to keep looking. Plus its a bit too advanced for her age." You replied. "More than sure, and I'm happy to help her build it. As long as that's okay with you?" He shot you a warm smile. "PLEAASSEEE MOMMYYYY can we please go build legos??" Your daughter asked, practically jumping in excitement. You looked at her and back to the man in front of you, "Okay, let's go." You said looking at your daughter fondly. "Thank you, uh.. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" "Seonghwa, and no need to thank me. I couldn't bare to see a little Lego lover so sad." You sat down in a seating area near the store and the two of them got to work. You'd noticed Seonghwa checking the directions pretty frequently, making you question if he actually already had the set at home, but you decided to leave it be. You were just grateful for his kindness towards your daughter. He was being so patient with her, teaching her where all the little pieces went asking her about what other kinds of toys she liked. You'd overheard him asking about you and not long after your daughter skipped up to you, "Mommy, Hwa wants to know if you'll come build legos with us?" Her big doe eyes pleading with you. "Oh, he does?" You looked at the man with a playful quirk of the brow. He just smiled back shyly. After some conversation between the three of you, Seonghwa reluctantly said he had to leave as he had somewhere to be soon. "But - but mommy, I want to show Hwa when I'm done!" Your daughter said, tears starting to well in her eyes. Seonghwa looked down at her and then to you. "I could uh, give you my number so you can text me when she's finished." He offered. "YES!! Pleaseee mommy!!" She said tugging on the bottom of your shirt. "Yes, that'd be nice. Thank you for building with her, you made her whole day." You smiled at him handing him your phone. He put his number in, "Don't thank me I enjoyed every minute of her happiness. And it was nice getting to talk to her pretty mom too."

Yunho:

It was your first weekend in months you weren't swamped with work. Deciding to take full advantage of your free time, you took your daughter to the arcade. Walking in your daughter immediately squealed in excitement, grabbing your wrist and pulling you over to the dancing games first. After several rounds and some pouting due to unperfect scores, she decided she wanted to try racing games. "Mommy, I wanna drive!" She exclaimed, pointing to one of the race car simulating games. "Baby, you're too short. You can't reach the peddles." You said, looking at her sympathetically. "But mommyy, I want to drive! It looks fun. I wanna be a big girl like mommy and drive!" She stomped her little foot, pouting. Just then, a very tall man walked up to the two of you, "I couldn't help but overhear, I could help her drive if you're comfortable with that? I think I might be tall enough, right?" He offered, directing that last sentence to your daughter, causing you both to giggle at this ridiculously tall man. "I think that would be okay.." You said, turning to look at your daughter, "what do you think, sweetie? Think he can reach?" You asked with a chuckle. "Yes, pweaseee!! Thank you, Mr. Giraffe!" She exclaimed, looking up at him with a bright smile. "Giraffe? I'm a giraffe?" He questioned, laughing at how adorable the nickname was. "I kinda like it! But, you can call me Yunho, since that's my name." He bent down, ruffling her hair, while looking up at you. "Otays, Mr giraffe Yunho! Can we go play now?" She asked, pulling on his pant leg. About 10 minutes into watching them play, hearing laughs come from your daughter you haven't heard from her since before her dad passed, you looked down at your phone and noticed it was almost time for bed. "Sweetheart, I know you're having so much fun right now, but we need to head home and get you to bed." You said softly, walking up to the game to help her down. "Nooooo, I don't want to go home. I want to stay with Yuyu!" She cried, holding onto Yunho. He pulled her back and gave her a pat on the head before setting her on the floor, "I know, and I want to play too, but you need to listen to your mommy. You gotta get some sleep so you can grow big and tall. So next time you won't need my help and you can play by yourself." She pouted, rubbing her eyes. "I don't want to play by myself anymore, I want to play with you forever!" You smiled sadly at her, knowing exactly what your daughter meant by that. Turning to Yunho, you said, "Thank you again. It's been a long time since I've seen her smile and laugh this much. She hasn't been that happy since her dad passed last year. You helping her play that game made her night and means a lot to me." Picking your pouting, sleepy daughter up to head to leave, Yunho stopped you. "I'd be more than happy to continue hanging out with the both of you, if you'd like?" He said timidly. "I, we would really like that." You replied, a fond smile on your face.

Yeosang:

You're sitting down at a restaurant with your daughter when two good-looking guys sit at the table next to you. "Look, Mommy! That guy looks like a prince!" your daughter says loudly, pointing at the blonde one. "Yes baby, he does, but you can't say that stuff so loud, and it's rude to point." You say a little embarrassed because they most definitely heard what she said given the fact the the one with black hair is giggling like a maniac "But mommy, that means he must have a castle and I wanna go!" She says, getting up and walking towards them."Excuse me Mr prince, can you take me to your castle? pwease I've always wanted to see one." She says, batting her eyelashes at the blodne haired man. You quickly follow after her. "I'm so sorry she's only 4, and she really loves fairy tales. Mostly the princes and castles." You say embarrassed. "Yeah, come on, Yeosang, show the little princess your castle," the black haired one says with a shit eating grin, causing Yeosang to look down, trying to hide his blush. "I'm not the princess," your daughter says to the black haired one. "My mommy is because princesses marry the princes, and I'm not old enough to marry anyone yet." She says matter of factly. With a little nod agreeing with her, Wooyoung replies, "You're so right, little one! So does that mean my friend, the prince here, should be courting your mommy? " He says, nudging Yeosang, who has yet to look up. Yeosang shyly looks to your daughter, "I would be horrored given that your mommy is a very beautiful princess, but I believe that princess should choose their prince." He said, sparing a shy smile towards you. "Well," you say, " I think I might be willing to give this one a chance." Both you and Yeosang are now smiling shyly at each other while Wooyoung and your daughter are sharing a victorious fist bump.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

⛓️If you'd like to be tagged in part 2, please let me know!(:

[yanderes-galore]

Hello, May I request a Cod Cold War ask? Specifically for Weaver x reader who’s part of the zombies strike team? I can imagine that they’re quick to figure out things (as you need to be for the Easter eggs) yet tough as they need to be? If not, I guess can I request Bell x reader (Bell may be hard to write for since they’re a player created character but I figured you do something cool with it!)

-MsPlacedHero

Ps, Chase loved the cookie I gave to him saying it was from you!

I'll try Bell as I'm a bit more familiar with them! Happy he liked the cookie even if it was a long time ago. Hope you enjoy :) Bell is referred to as They/Them as you did not specify what kind of Bell you wanted.

This is mostly rambling and may be short but it was me giving my view on the character and their potential. I wanted to explore it a bit so there's no real plot.

Yandere! Bell Concept/Overview

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Mentioned self-aware behavior but not focused, General Bell thoughts, Stalking, Brainwashing, General yandere behavior, Character death, Dubious companionship.

Bell can be both interesting yet difficult to write so I will try to keep this rather general.

Bell could be difficult since their character is primarily meant for the player to insert themselves into.

They're meant to be so the player can interact with the story and feel like a part of it.

This would be difficult to try and convey, however, it opens many different possibilities.

Bell would be like a customizable yandere.

In a story you can pick and choose how you'd want Bell to be.

Bell would work even better in a "Self-Aware" story since they'd act as a host for the player and are extremely player dependent.

Your little puppet.

A reflection of you.

Overall Bell could really have any sort of yandere personality traits due to being a blank canvas.

You could see Bell as soft or someone who follows their darling like a puppy.

Maybe you could see them as a worship yandere.

Maybe you could see them as cruel, perhaps even prior to the brainwashing?

As a result, the darling is just as customizable.

You could be a part of the CIA or know Bell prior to the brainwashing.

There's a lot of potential.

The things is, how to write Bell is you'd need to be specific.

That's why I'm mostly just looking over the character.

Honestly my favorite ideas may be the Self-Aware one and Bell with a fellow CIA agent.

The Self-Aware one is self explanatory, I mentioned it before.

But the CIA agent one could also be fun to explore.

You know you shouldn't get attached or involve yourself with Bell.

They've been brainwashed with MK-ULTRA to find out info on Perseus.

That's all, afterwards they may just be tossed away.

For now they just need to be alive until the mission is finished and over.

However, Bell appears to have some sort of adoration for you one way or another.

Maybe somewhere in their memories they seem to recall you being important to them.

It's most likely a fabricated memory to coax more information out of them, but it works.

How Bell deals with such information could vary.

They may follow you around, they may be overly protective/clingy, they could be possessive, they could be any number of things.

They don't understand why you never like being around them.

Truthfully you either don't care or don't want to be attached.

Either way, Bell would want to treat you more than a "comrade".

They either see you as a close friend they "fought alongside" or maybe even a lover.

They have no idea you and Adler just need them for information.

Bell may most likely be "gotten rid of" before they become too much of a problem for you due to their obsession.

If they are a softer and more docile yandere, it feels horrible to know Adler did them in.

If they are rougher and more intense, it may feel like a relief when they're gone.

Player created characters like Bell have potential to be interesting once you have traits decided.

Unfortunately as a result I can't really assign Bell any definitive yandere behavior for them.

They seem like a puppet, a husk, meant to follow orders due to all of the brainwashing.

Regardless... a blank slate character can still have endless potential if you have a plot to work with.

No two Bell stories would be the same, essentially.

Bell is a wild card when it comes to their darling.

Which can mean they're a dangerous yandere if you think about it.

[vacantgodling]

Hi, I hate to be a bother but is chapter 1 of Paramour (hope I'm spelling that right) the only chapter you've shared or are there more posted? your writing is so good and I've fallen in love with the story after seeing your anniversary art. Also, do you post it anywhere outside of Tumblr? unfortunately, the color scheme of your blog and the size of the font makes it hard for my poor eyesight to read (No hate to you btw I just zoom in real close)

hello hello!! firstly you are not at ALL a bother <3 (also you're spelling it right lol) regarding my desktop blog, i bumped up the font size so i hope that's helped it be a bit more readable? i'm planning on changing up color schemes and the like at the end of this year, but i hope the size change makes it more bearable ;3;

secondly, hearing that people like my writing enough to want to seek more of it has me giggling and kicking my feet so THANK YOU for enjoying chapter 1 and the art so much--there's some details that may or may not get added in whenever i eventually make a third pass at writing this behemoth and i spent 6 hours slaving over that drawing LMAO SO i really appreciate you reading it AND telling me you enjoyed it im so EEEE

at this time, i'm not formally publishing / putting out paramour because its still very much a work-in-progress (essentially, i'm working on draft 2 right now bc i'm doing some major outline renovating, but tbh i'm thinking that when i DO feel like i'm at the point that i want to publish it, i'm kinda leaning towards a serial style like @/stjohnstarling's what manner of man... but those are details for several years from now, i'm just rambling at this point) BUT FEAR NOT!! its my main obsession at all times and i have posted a TON about it on my blog. but for your convenience, i've compiled all the 'main' writing bits that i've posted on this blog over the past several years into this ask so that way if you wanna just read the 'main' meat and potatoes that i've decided to release from the vault so to speak... then here they are.

but, if in general you want to peruse my main wip tag, i talk about paramour so much its Ridiculous lmao -> s: paramour and you can check out the overview powerpoint intro i made for it here, just to get a clearer picture of what the heckie is going on lol -> powerpoint intro

anyway though, the list of main writings, broken into a couple of sections. i will also preface, that chapter 1 doesn't make it too apparent--but there is a LOT of sex, kink, and romance involved in this story. so proceed at your own disgression dear anon since i'm not sure how you feel about that lol.

MAIN WIP WRITINGS (in chronological story order)

paramour draft 2 chapter 1: pre-wedding

paramour (title drop 👀 but this scene is gonna end up slightly different in draft 2)

midnight query (amon and erecia talk in some undetermined chapter)

the bird & the worm (flashback to amon at 12)

but i am not (a bit from chapter 9 of draft 1)

masquerade (the first time hya and amon fuck—there is smut proceed with caution. also the latter half of chapter 9 draft 1)

an invitation (excerpt from chapter 10 draft 1)

displeasure (a relationship snippet from an undetermined chapter)

nervous (just hya and amon being kinky)

ties that bind (kink interrupted by feelings from some undetermined chapter)

divine (some sappy shit from an undetermined chapter)

hiccup (excerpt from chapter 20 of draft 1)

AUS & JUST FOR FUNZIES (meaning not in the main wip)

jealousy (amon & hya slums au—where both of them grow up in central halifax)

pleasure (amon’s birthday present 2023-> this is sex/smut so proceed with caution)

a fool’s errand (role swap au—aka the au where amon is rich and hya is the butler)

laundry (role swap au)

wedding invitation (role swap au—amon being friends with myrtus makes me insane actually)

i know what you’re saying (amon & hya slums au)

[idiotmf]

Overview

Welcome to my little corner of the internet. As I'm getting ready to post a lot more stuff, this post shall serve as your guide on my page.

Just here to find the Masterlist? Here you go.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Here's some things that you should know:

1. While I do occasionally write pure fluff and lore dumps that are SFW, my overall page is NSFW and 18+, therefore if you're a minor, please do us both a favor and do not interact.

2. I place my "read more" the way I do on purpose! It's to make sure you have to consciously agree to view the full, often NSFW, content instead of getting it shoved in your face, maybe even while you're in public. It also helps keep posts on my blog short and somewhat tidy.

3. I have a chronic need to over-explain myself and my content, resulting in long posts and long notes. Thanks anxiety™.

4. English is not my first language. I like to think I'm decent at it but I am not entirely confident about tenses and punctuation. I also just like to use a comma after every second word because my native language has so many rules on it and I'm low-key an idiot.

5. I write mostly for myself and just wanna throw my stuff out there. I love input and constructive criticism, so please don't be shy but don't be mean either!

6. I usually obsessively scan for typos and grammar issues (because anxiety and immersion) but I don't always catch everything, so I'm happy to be corrected, as long as it's not aggressive. (｡•́��•̀｡)

7. I am open to suggestions and requests, although I don't take full on commissions (free or paid). I used to be a commission writer back in the day and I do currently really value my creative freedom.

8. Alongside random content, I like to depict my own, original characters (OCs) in different situations and dynamics. Sort of like an AU, except there is no original story. It's kinda like writing reader-insert FFs of my own characters, I guess.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Content, TWs and Tags:

I will try to provide anything that's needed to know on my posts but in case you just randomly stumbled upon my profile and this is the first post you see...

My main content and topics will always be Monsters and Smut.

• Other things that are good to know:

The reader is gender neutral, if not, I will state it. Usually the reader plays a submissive role and has female genitalia, although sometimes I will add variations. If you want me to specifically write one with male genitalia or a dominant role in mind, please feel free to reach out!

• Additional topics may be:

BDSM, Power Dynamics, Height Differences, Overstimulation, Dub-Con, illogical anatomy (if ya know, ya know), an insane amount of cum, etc.

↑ I will extend this list if needed.

Things that may trigger trauma or are extreme, even in my eyes, I will definitely state with a trigger warning, so please pay attention to avoid getting hurt.

That's it for now. Enjoy my ramblings.

(灬╹ω╹灬)

[bharv]

Because I don't do this, and maybe I should do this, here's a little overview of the fic I have over on Ao3 where you can find me under HardingHightown.

My stuff ranges from smutty one shots to more rambling, angsty literary stuff, so it won't be everybody's cup of tea but hey, it might be yours!

Currently, I'm in BG3 world, so this post is about those fics, but I also write stuff for Pillars of Eternity, Dragon Age, and a little bit here and there of Divinity Original Sin, Fallout, and similar RPGs. I like to write about my OCs, and I think they're pretty well rounded and complex individuals so I hope you enjoy them too. I also love a good rarepair.

Baldur's Gate 3 works:

Breath and Rosewater (ongoing) is a longfic between Gale and a Deep Gnome Bard, Glimmergris, that is part romance and part a rewrite to include a bit more about the nature of magic and music, and is a mixed POV so I can enjoy spending a bit of time in Gale's vocabulary.

The First Leaf on the Tree in Winter (ongoing) is a Jaheira/Halsin fic from her POV, looking at themes of time, loss, and rediscovery of the self and ones desires. I love this pairing, and I want more people to fall in love with it!

Control (complete) is a one shot about my Dark Urge, Manva Warhelm, and her horrible little reunion with Enver Gortash. CW for depictions of violence, CN for some light domme/sub dynamics. There may be a prequel to this at some point that explores their early meeting.

Let me have this dance (and you) (complete) is the dance scene between Karlach and Wyll from Karlach’s perspective. Though it is complete, I love this pairing so will almost certainly have a series of them together and I want to try Wyll’s POV as he falls in love with the best woman on the Coast. Please send me your Wyllach stuff, I love them.

I don't do commissions but I love an interesting request, so please do get in touch if you have something that could be a nice one-shot piece! Lots of my fics started as a prompt, so I'm always happy to try.

[cantsomeoneelsedoit]

Overreading Undead Unluck Masterpost

This blog is for my re-read/read-along/overreading of Undead Unluck, which is a manga you should check out. I'll be pointing out various things I like and things that match up with my theory. Hope you enjoy reading my ramblings. I very well may be wrong about all of it.

THEORY OVERVIEW Post

Ch 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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61

[historicalfightingguide]

A great video going over some of the most important techniques and principles of The Art of Combat or ‘Kunst Des Fechtens’ also known as KDF, but also tying those to more general mechanical groupings as well as positional situations that can help people connect the dots between various different moves. You can have different interpretations of historical systems than Daniel Pope(the person giving the lecture) but even just trying to apply this sort of systemic overview may help you figure out some things about fencing and how to think about it.

“ This in-class discussion from earlier this year is a fairly long and rambling discussion in which we broke out the trusty whiteboard markers to discuss some fencing theory relating to Meyer and Liechtenauer, but relevant to all fencing really. As our club isn't in training, I'm hoping that at least some of you will revisit the video because we haven't been able to revisit it in person. In essence, if we can reduce the exemplars in the text to general principles we find there's a lot less to think about while fencing. It's important to remember that these are generalisations - some of the genaral "rules" cited should never ben considered "laws" - you can break the rules all the time while fencing - as long as you know why! “

Here’s also another post overviewing KDF concepts in a more general framework that’s a bit less focused with mechanics and a bit more with the philosophy around it all and practical tactical issues as well that you may enjoy.

If you are interested in learning how to use a longsword check out these few links.

And here’s a masterpost about Joachim Meyer if you’re interested in his system specifically.

For anyone who hasn’t yet seen the following links:

Some advice on how to start studying the sources generally can be found in these older posts

Remember to check out  A Guide to Starting a Liberation Martial Arts Gym as it may help with your own club/gym/dojo/school culture and approach.

Check out their curriculum too.

Fear is the Mind Killer: How to Build a Training Culture that Fosters Strength and Resilience by   Kajetan Sadowski   may be relevant as well.

“How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach & Practice Sports Skills”  by Rob Gray  as well as this post that goes over the basics of his constraints lead, ecological approach.

Another useful book to check out is  The Theory and Practice of Historical European Martial Arts (while about HEMA, a lot of it is applicable to other historical martial arts clubs dealing with research and recreation of old fighting systems).

Trauma informed coaching and why it matters

Why having a systematic approach to training can be beneficial

Why we may not want one attack 10 000 times, nor 10 000 attacks done once, but a third option.

How consent and opting in function and why it matters.

More on tactics in fencing

Open vs closed skills

The three primary factors to safety within historical fencing

Worth checking out are this blogs tags on pedagogy and teaching for other related useful posts.

And if you train any weapon based form of historical fencing check out the ‘HEMA game archive’ where you can find a plethora of different drills, focused sparring and game options to use for effective, useful and fun training.

For more on how to use youtube content for learning historical fencing I suggest checking out these older posts on the concept of video study of sparring and tournament footage.

Consider getting some patches of this sort or these cool rashguards to show support for good causes or a t-shirt like to send a good message while at training.

[mimikoolover]

Hi I’m the anon from the other day who went on a ramble about jikook and the fandom, hope you’re having a good day😊

You’re right that a lot of negativity is on twitter and it’s like its own bubble, it’s always the same in every fandom… and just twitter in general lol it really makes for such a hostile environment. But it’s also really good for getting some sort of overview of fandoms I feel, don’t really get that on any other app. Anyway, I totally understand when you’ve been a fan for a long time the need to step away and toxicity ruining your experience, been there. As a newer fan of something it’s easier to just watch it all go down and not get affected as much, but I try to focus on the positive!

I’ve been having SO much fun becoming a fan watching their content (which seriously, idk if I’ll even get through it all before they all come back… how did new fans ever have time to catch up on old stuff while they were being active in real time too??) But most of all - I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on all this amazing music for so many years! I’ve been somewhat aware of bts for a long time, but never really knew anything or listened to them. After 2020 I assumed it was all Dynamite type stuff, so the chock when I came across Set me free pt 2 and Agust D was real, in the BEST way!

I’ve grown so fond of so many of the group songs, and even the ones I didn’t initially love keep growing on me. I have a new fave every day it seems! They really are so so good and diverse. And as for solo, I love some songs from all of them, but Yoongi and Jimin are the most interesting to me music wise. Hobi too tho, absolutely LOVE some of his songs. Love Fri(end)s too, Namjoons new album keeps growing on me, The Astronaut makes me emo every time I hear it, some of JK’s songs are bops for sure even if I don’t feel as much connection with them. I’m super looking forward to Never let go though!

Gahhh I could talk about their music and content and dynamics and just THEM forever, for you it’s probably like yea dude we been knew they’re amazing lol but here I am sharing the new fan joy!🙌 haha

hey anon nice to hear from you again💜and it's super nice to read how much you're enjoying discovering new content! I definitely miss being a new fan and discovering it all. you may indeed not manage to finish everything before bts comes back🤣but I def recommend watching run! bts and gayo if you can! I'm planning on rewatching them this summer too.

it's funny you say that about their solo work because yoongi's first solo songs solidified me becoming a fan too. like I really enjoyed bts songs obviously but their solo work was so impressive too, it made me an even bigger fan quicker. it's just so good discovering all their music😭

definitely give still with you and my you by jungkook a listen, they're songs he produced/wrote/made like never let go so i expect never let go to be similar and tbh they are my comfort songs along with letter🥹

june is the best month as a bts fan, i hope you're enjoying it a lot🤍

[chaldeamage-neo]

I'm new to your blog and not familiar with Niyo, but I love Mandricardo a lot and enjoy OC/canon ships so. tell me everything 👀

Hoooo buddy!! Lucky for you I just had to rewrite Niyo's bio for a project so allow me to throw it at you if you wish to read. It's a bit condensed (still long lol) but this is the general overview of both of them. Any nitty-gritty or specific events aren't here yet or are works in progress but I can def ramble about if asked.

But without further ado~

Niyo, a former Clock Tower student, was recruited into Chaldea to be a Medbay and Greenhouse assistant due to her family being relatively well-known apothecaries. But when the time came to fill out slots for Master candidates, she was tested and had excellent potential. Kind to some, cruel to others and indifferent to the rest. At first, she may come off as aloof, uninterested, or even outright mean depending on the person. But once she warms up to those around her, you can see her more charming and laid-back side that people tend to enjoy. However, those on her bad side will most certainly know, and should watch their food and drinks around her as she is not against poisoning those who cross her. She desires to be a "normal" person, but knows that isn't possible as a magus. Still, she is a better person than she gives herself credit for. Things left in this woman's care will most certainly be taken care of as she has an innate, almost natural drive to see things flourish.

The Mine family originated from Japan and immigrated to Poland when their circuits first began to develop. They became acquainted with many other mages upon their move and joined a restoration project when one of them discovered the old remains of a phantasmal beast/species. A small group would work on this project so as to not attract the attention of the Mage’s Association. One of the members was of the Zemlupus family, chosen for their ability of understanding and hunting wild beasts of phantasmal nature. The means in which they would revive the beast was to take its remains and combine it with parts of other animals to create a chimera of sorts. Most of the animals used were primarily the parts of goats and sheep. They would be successful in bringing life to the creature. However, its existence was short-lived and agonizing before collapsing and ultimately perishing. Satisfied enough with simply accomplishing this, the group would then begin to destroy their workshop and any traceable evidence and any notes that weren’t destroyed would be locked away.

Despite this, the head of the Mine family at the time would take a piece of the beast corpse and insert such into their body with the intent of creating their own crest as well as being gifted a ruby Azoth dagger by the head of the Zemlupus family at the time. Because of the effects this would have on their body, most of their time and studies went into stabilizing the crest and combating its side effects with plant-based medicines and their own personal mystic codes. They would be successful with this in due time, but their focus had become cemented as apothecaries who make and sell to other mages as well. While the family would have many sons, the crest takes better to daughters. To ensure the child is ready for the crest, they would often have the mothers hold it while carrying their child. While this is a risky procedure that sometimes results in the mother’s death after childbirth, it does work for the child to carry on the crest and the family’s legacy. 

Some generations later, Iwo Mine is the head of the family with his only daughter Niyo, who as of right now, is the peak in terms of circuit quality the family has produced. At a young age, she was caring and very curious about magecraft. Her father would show great care for her because of this and would task her with tending to the few sheep they had. She did exponentially well at the task she was given and thus, he decided to introduce her to a certain experiment as a lesson at a young age that would prepare her for the family crest. This experiment involved using one of Niyo's lambs as sacrifice to harden her mentality, that she would later have to consume and fall ill due to her crest effects on their bloodline rejecting the consumption of lamb meat.

This traumatized the girl for a time and dissuaded her from wanting to continue the family’s craft and as she grew older, slowly opened her eyes to some of the cruelties of mage society and she'd gain the desire to live a normal life. All to her father’s dismay.

It wasn't until some time in her middle school days did Niyo meet a boy her age that introduced her to many people and gave her a small taste of what it's like to be a normal kid. This boy's name is Casimir Canmore, and upon finding they were both mages, the two became best friends and reinvigorated each other's desires to continue magecraft while also restoring pieces of their hope in other mages, moving forward with the belief that if they had met each other they could meet other like minded people. They'd study together and help each other the best they could in their respective fields, Niyo focusing on Botany and her family's work, while also taking a particular liking to making bounded fields and various types of poisons and their antidotes. She even took to increasing her own poison tolerance levels, pushing the boundaries of human limitation. 

When the time came, the two enrolled in the Clock Tower and things continued as such until Niyo encountered some scouts from Chaldea. Chaldea’s goal appeared to be virtuous and in line with what the two had hoped for. And so, Niyo would apply and be accepted due to notable recognition from her family’s business with Chaldea’s peers. Before her departure, she and Casimir would have one last meeting where he would give her a special pendant that he claims is a good luck charm. Niyo, in turn, would promise that when they met again, she would become a person he could be proud to call her friend.

After arriving at Chaldea, Niyo was originally assigned two jobs: tend to the greenhouse and assist in the Medbay. This was until they started testing the other staff members’ ability to Rayshift, in which Niyo possessed excellent compatibility. While still having her former duties, Niyo now had the added responsibility of being a Master candidate. 

Things play out much the same from here on with minor differences. Niyo's original goal for completing the seven Singularities was so she could fulfill her promise to Casimir and meet him again. A selfish goal yes, but along the journey she grew to being more open to others while letting her innate caring nature to flourish outside of simply caring for her plants. One Servant she formed a very close bond to was Robin Hood. His general nature and disposition was very soothing to her and their methods of combat worked well with each other. Some could argue they were partners, but it has never been denied nor confirmed. But it is known that Niyo had strong feelings for the Archer.

Similarly plays out during the Epic of Remnants until Shimosa, which seemed to particularly have an affect on her mental health as she would actively try to avoid contact with some servants, specifically Houzouin Inshun.

As the Singularities and Remnants come to a close, Niyo has to abruptly say goodbye to many of her servants who she was very close to, but begins to learn more about the members of Team A. She had only seen them a few times in passing or hearing about some in her time at Clock Tower, but never got a proper chance to speak to them. Even though she was bitter about not being given credit for her efforts in the Singularities, the woman was excited to meet Team A and pass the torch to them. She had even planned to bake them a cake to celebrate them waking up. But as fate would have it, that would not be the case as they were now her enemies and the Earth was now pruned. 

Upon their descent into the Void Space, Niyo entered a coma for most of the three weeks they were there, only to wake up and return to the surface where three months had passed and humanity was gone again. Though fatigued, she is now fueled with rage towards the Crypters, more so after hearing Kadoc's speech in the first Lostbelt. This leads her to be much more aggressive towards him than the others, though it should be noted their crest and magecraft are also at theoretical odds with each other.

As they continue through the Lostbelts, Noyo seems to get more and more tired as they go through. She continues onwards thanks to Napoleon's encouragement. As a Servant who is summoned to fulfill the wishes of others, his words gave her hope for the future and the strength to face the tomorrow. But over time, due to the lack of the support from certain servants that she did during the singularities, her mental health only begins to wane more.

During the Ooku Singularity, both Niyo and Goredolf are taken by Kama as the "twin Tokugawas." It takes a moment, but Niyo is eventually recruited back to Chaldea thanks to the now summoned Kiara Sessyoin. But before this can happen, Niyo admits that she's tired of having to prune existences and is tired of being a hero. That Kama's offer in the Ooku was admittedly enticing and that she particularly fell for it because of the freedom that was offered, with the gift of unconditional endless love. In the end however, the story must go on, and so, she must continue on. This begs the question afterwards, what is she fighting for truly? 

Upon her arrival in the fifth Lostbelt, Niyo is filled with a lot of anxiety but is pleased to see some familiar faces (Drake and Jason) as well as new ones with refreshing auras. As her new party members inform her about those previously there, Niyo's heart clenches at how familiar many of the descriptions sound. In the previous Lostbelts, she was filled with uncertainty with those she had formed a close bond with not answering her calls, but it would appear that they were all here in this Lostbelt, waiting and preparing things for her arrival. She was never really alone, never forgotten.

When there was a moment to spare, Niyo spent time with Mandricardo as he was easy to talk to and seemed to (although unintentionally) be very good at soothing and comforting her. The two talked a lot and quickly grew feelings for one another. This would lead to their initial departure all the more heartbreaking, and traumatizing on Niyo's end. He had saved her not because she asked him of that, not because he was required to do so as a Heroic Servant, but because she had become someone irreplaceably important to him and he’d honor that bond in the best way he knew how: fighting. But she promises to not let his efforts be in vain and continues on to face Kirschtaria.

Once in Olympus and facing the leader of the Crypters, Niyo is surprised to find that she doesn’t completely hate Kirschtaria like she thought she would. If anything, the truth that he holds her in such high regards and that he held good intentions for humanity all along was more shocking for her. This led to the unfortunate frustration that while she disagreed with the means he took to reach the peak of his dream, she couldn't help but lament and wish for a time when they could’ve been friends, because in a strange way, Wodime reminded her of Casimir. And that Wodime is someone Casimir would have liked to meet. This Lostbelt wasn’t entirely about pruning existences this time; it also highlighted the unfairness of the world of mages and ideals.

After returning from the Atlantic Lostbelt, Niyo is able to resummon Mandricardo, as her own personal Servant rather than under the Fate System at Chaldea. She was ecstatic to be with him again, but disheartened to learn he could not recount their time in the Atlantic Lostbelt. This made her question if she loved him for who he was or what he did for her. In the end, she decided that out of not wanting him to compare himself to his Atlantis counterpart, Niyo would not tell him of the event for as long as she could, and at the same time, to also confirm her own feelings. Luckily for them both, falling in love with each other again came naturally. Niyo’s personal fears are proven wrong as in due time Mandricardo vows to be better than his other self and not leave her, officially cementing themselves as lovers and the emotional support that the other needs. Niyo becomes very protective of the Rider, even sealing off his Errant Blow skill which self-sacrifices himself when at low health, and he in turn wants nothing more than her safety and happiness, picking up his makeshift sword to fight for her and for them.

Niyo’s story for Fate/Grand Order is ever-growing and changing so there is much more to come in the future; however she does have another counterpart. In an alternate timeline, a Holy Grail War is taking place. Here, Niyo and Casimir are some years older and starting their professions. The main difference here is that Niyo has a newborn son with an unnamed man but keeps this secret from her father in hopes she’ll be able to raise the boy with the choice if he wants to be magus or not. This doesn’t stay a secret forever though as once her father finds out, he presents her with the choice of him taking her son and making her life significantly harder, or participate in the upcoming Grail War and earn the right to raise her son.

Niyo goes along and participates in the war, summoning Mandricardo as the war’s Rider. Casimir follows her into the war, summoning Julius Caesar as Caster. Much like in Grand Order, Niyo and Mandricardo become very close to each other. Niyo quickly caught on to his lack of confidence and encouraged him. This encourages Mandricardo to vow to protect and serve her the best he could, as a proper knight would his lady. In doing so, they have many opportunities to bond. With them seeing each other’s charms and quirks, they slowly but surely fall for each other in the war. 

With unquestioning backing from his master, Mandricardo becomes the group’s strength, Caesar as the tactician, and Niyo and Casimir as support, the team makes it rather far in the war. Their relationship becomes far enough to the part where they become comfortable enough to share what they would wish for. The Masters go first, admitting they have no wish but just wanted to stay together to ensure neither of them died. All so they could keep the little family that they had. Caesar, admiring Niyo’s drive to want to be with her son, makes him want to wish for a second chance with his own.But through his own development in the war, he comes to the conclusion that there is no changing the past and to live in the present and for the future, giving his aid to the masters. 

Meanwhile, Mandricardo originally wanted to wish for the chance to wield Durendal. But after getting to know them all, falling in love with his Master, and wanting to see her survive and flourish, he’d later admit to her that he wishes for a second chance where he could continue to protect Niyo and the family that she created while secretly hoping that she would allow him in.

Despite the other cunning masters and powerful servants, Team Rider would emerge victorious and the wish fell to Mandricardo. So with the help of the overseer and many other connections, Mandricardo was given a second chance at life, no longer as a Servant but actually human now. He would take the time to travel and reflect before rejoining his former Master’s side to which she welcomed him with open arms and allowing him to finally see the child he had also been fighting for and eventually tying the knot once everything was finalized and situated. And with that, the two have a happy ending they so thoroughly deserve. Also, Casimir and Mandricardo’s (stolen) steed are there too.

[monsterspet]

Tav is the God of Defiance

Headcanons/ Fic Plot Overview

A/N: Has life been kicking my ass? Yes, but let’s not get into that. The whole Tav as God thing has really been burrowing deeper into my psyche and I need to get it out here or I may actually just go insane.

Enjoy some quickly thrown together headcanon type ideas - I may expand on these later if I can find the time in between work and everything else.

See prior drunken ramblings about God!Tav here

Before BG3:

Tav has been living almost exclusively in the material plane since the events of the Second Sundering. While they are empowered to live amongst mortals because Ao forbids it they can’t exactly risk returning home in case they get stuck there. It's sneaking back in when your parents are distracted sort of situation.

I imagine that at one point that Tav was traditionally worshipped, but as the other Gods pulled further back on Ao’s command the mortals around Tav likely began to question why their God was still walking amongst them. Or maybe a wandering God is simply too hard to keep track of in legend - especially when they can no longer disclose their godhood to followers. The old ones die - and no one was there to replace them. The traditional faith simply died out.

Tav has been adventuring for centuries, strengthening the resolve of their companions in the face of dire circumstances and impossible odds. This defiance they demonstrate in close proximity to the God enough to sustain Tav even if it wouldn’t grant them the same power they had before from temples and clerics.

I think regardless of the class you choose Tav is at least a little bit of a bard - if only to hide their godly magic as some form of bardic inspiration during a battle.

They always inevitably end up alone as their companions leave them behind, either leaving adventuring to retire or more likely dying despite Tav’s best effort.

While they can defy almost anything, there’s a finality in death that’s much older and primal than even Ao and there’s nothing to be done against that. Tav takes the pleasure they can in staving off death for their beloved friends as long as possible before it comes to claim them.

Tav doesn’t just simply gravitate towards the longer lived races on Toril, there’s something more potent probably in the defiance of a mortal that is risking their almost comically short life in comparison to that of an aged elf. Though longer lived races do allow Tav to go longer before losing another friend or lover.

During BG3:

As a God, hearing whispers of a new God calling itself the Absolute isn’t what you want to hear. Not when they - like you, appear to be directly interfering with the lives of mortals. Tav gets away with it purely by the nature of their domain. This new God may not be so lucky.

Combined with the increase of murders in Bhaal’s name in Baldurs Gate, and stirrings at Moonrise Towers which Tav knows all too well to be a Shar cursed land - Tav is compelled to investigate.

Finding themselves aboard a nautiloid has Tav panicked - this is looking to be a much larger threat to their beloved mortals than previously expected.

They have no allies with them though - no angered cries or acts of defiance to power them in this moment. Not that it matters. Interfering in the lives of a handful of mortals is one thing - but fighting against multiple Gods for the sake of all mortals would be a step too far for Ao.

This all changes when Tav is infected with a mindflayer tadpole.

Those infected with tadpoles are a threat to all those around them for many reasons. An individual with secret and forbidden knowledge is a tantalizing target to add to an illithid colony’s hive mind. What would happen if a God were to be transformed? Tav’s hand is forced, they’ll need to escape - gather allies and fight.

Upon crashing the nautiloid near the Emerald Grove and realising that most of their innate abilities are dampened by the psychic powers of the tadpole, Tav has to scramble to form an adventuring party. Thankfully - a group of desperate adventurers all with their own tadpoles to remove and lives they desperately want to return to just may very well have enough defiance in them for Tav to kill a God.

Tav just has to convince them to fight long enough to get the job done.

[relicsongmel]

Introduction

Welcome! My name is Mel and this is my place to shout into the void about things I'm way too obsessed with. I'm in my 20s, female, pan(demi)romantic asexual and also autistic/ADHD as hell. I post about a variety of things but here are the fandoms you're most likely to see (in no particular order):

Pokemon/Pokeani

Ace Attorney

Bleach

Inuyasha

Animal Crossing

Stardew Valley

Love Nikki

Undertale

Other things to know about me:

Personal posts will be tagged as [#mel's musings].

I have two tags [#little songbird] and [#forest for the tree] for my OCs Sylvia and Denise, respectively. They're my two pseudo self-inserts reflecting different aspects of my personality that I can throw into whatever fictional universe I'm hyperfixating on in the moment for my own enjoyment. If you're curious I have overviews for each of them in this post—I'm somewhat selective about sharing plot details for the various AUs I have but if you have questions about the characters themselves I'm more than happy to answer them! I love my girls <3

In addition to the fandoms listed above I am also EXTREMELY autistic about music—I have a background in piano/classical singing and have been in choirs all my life since 4th grade. I have been bestowed with the blessed (and sometimes cursed) combination of absolute pitch as well as pitch-color synesthesia. The former is the ability to identify pitches without a reference note and the latter is a phenomenon where my brain associates certain musical keys with certain colors, temperatures and scenery among other things. It is a HUGE special interest of mine—ask me questions about it and I will literally love you until the end of time I'm serious. Even if it's as simple as sending me a song and asking what color it is or asking me for thoughts on video game OSTs because I have a LOT

A follow-up to the above point: I love all things music theory and analysis and whatnot but in my excitement I have a tendency to get a bit TOO technical sometimes. I will do my best to make things as accessible as possible in my personal posts or when answering questions directed towards me (unless you specify it's not needed) but if that's not your niche any posts of this nature will be tagged as [#music nerd shit].

BE WARY OF FOLLOWING IF:

You are weird about multishipping. I like many ships for many different reasons and there's a lot of overlap between characters (just as an example: for Ace Attorney I am primarily a Narumitsu/Wrightworth shipper but I also enjoy Krisnix, Feenris, Gumworth and Langworth and I will make posts about all of them). All ship posts are tagged as such but it's something to be mindful of

You dislike long tag ramblings. I tend to do that a lot, so if that's not something you can just Ignore than this blog may not be the place for you (side note: if my tags on a post ever don't make sense there's a decent chance I'm just having a conversation with one of my mutuals through tags because some of them Do That. Deal with it)

You are overly invested in pro/anti discourse. I have things that squick me out just like anyone else but if I see something I don't like I just block and move on. It is not my job to police the behavior of random strangers on the internet and I don't need any of you weirdos trying to convince me it is please for the love of god go outside

KEEP YOUR TERF/RADFEM BULLSHIT, EXCLUSIONISM OR BIGOTRY OF ANY KIND THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME. IF I SEE ANY OF THAT SHIT I WILL BLOCK ON SIGHT

If you follow me and need anything specific tagged (whether it be for spoilers or other reasons), shoot me a message and I'm more than happy to oblige.

My askbox is always open if you'd like to talk about anything at all whether it be fandom shit, music nerd shit or otherwise. If you'd prefer me to answer privately please specify as such when writing your ask.

I do not condone the use of generative AI or reuploading art without express permission from the original artist. If I accidentally reblog AI/stolen art please send me a message letting me know so I can delete it accordingly.

If we are mutuals and you'd like to get to know me more, feel free to message and ask for my Discord! I'm not a part of any servers at the moment because that sort of thing intimidates me, but I do enjoy talking to my friends there and you could be one of them. If you'd like. But you need to make that clear to me first so hmu if you're interested <3

And that's about it, really! Enjoy your time here and I hope something nice happens to you today <333

[quinesone]

WaveMaker 4 (a PWA)

Really long rambling ahead!

I've been using this program mainly for my fanfiction (because that's what I've been starting more of lately) for almost two years now. I genuinely didn't expect to enjoy using this as much as I do now, and I'll be rambling here why!

Tl;dr:

I can have my notes beside what I'm writing, I can change the page color, and I can track the word count of each chapter/part/scene I work on. The grid planner and cards are very neat tools that I'm very thankful exist in this world lol. Overall, amazing free software that I recommend trying out and seeing for yourself if it works for you. ��

Details below.

[Personal*] Pros:

*I put 'personal' here because these are based on my writing habits/process. May be different for you. c:

It's free.

All of my related projects can be saved in just one file (which is "Fanfiction Collection" in this example). Many stories are inside that one project/file, each with their own folders and documents too.

Files can be saved either locally or in Google Drive.

You can export your manuscript all at once as a .doc file (see screenshot below), but you can also export just one folder.

As you can also see in the screenshot, word count is automatically measured. (Don't judge my inconsistency lmao)

^Exporting the folder only, yay!

Now, here's the writing interface.

My favorite things about this are: (1) the note cards on the right. I need that; (2) you can pin and unpin the left list of contents and the notecards on the right; (3) notecards can be tagged and viewed by tag in the "My Cards" tool (rightmost icon on the upper left icon group); and (4) you can put pictures.

You can enable typewriter mode too if you prefer that. Typewriter mode is like a Focus Mode that puts only the text on the screen. Page and font color are customizable. See below.

Other great tools include: (1) The Planning Board tool which shows all the notecards you have in each chapter/part, arranged in order of your chapters; (2) Grid Planner where you can outline your story using a grid of cards. You can make the cards or link existing ones.

[Personal] Cons:

You can't arrange stories in alphabetical order in the main screen.

No other fonts. There's only the standard serif the app uses and the serif during Typewriter mode.

Preferences in settings aren't saved for your next session, so for example if I want to re-enable Full Width mode when I reopen the software, I have to click it again. (Fortunately, I need only to do this thing; after applying it, the settings for the text + page color are reapplied at the same time.)

When linking or reusing cards, you can't search by title or tags. You have to scroll the long list. And cards are project-wide. Which means if you have multiple books (like me) all of the cards for each book will be in the card database.

Word count is measured, but it doesn't seem to be accurate. Or I don't know when it stops or starts measuring.

Stories with complicated worldbuilding that needs a lot of complex notes will be hard to do here. At least, I can't imagine feasibly using this for my biggest fantasy original story. (May change once I try to figure out how to make it work.)

I have no idea how the Snowflakes Tool works; it doesn't seem intuitive to me. (Or maybe I'm dumb. I don't do snowflake method so ignore me.)

Mindmap and Timeline tools lack flexibility in terms of visuals (font and design).

══════════════════

All in all, the cons aren't enough to take me away from this. The fact that I can see my notes right beside what I'm writing is really what I wanted because I need to see a lot of things at once to get my writing gears going. (I don't do well writing in super clean interfaces in the long term, like Google Docs and FocusWriter.)

As with any software that has auto save and manual saving options though, remember to keep backups. 😊 (I almost lost a lot of words on a huge fic because I forgot to.)

This video review is a good overview of the features too.

(Note: I haven't tried it on mobile yet, so unfortunately I have no thoughts regarding how well it works there.)

Alternatives to google docs

For various reasons, this is now a hot topic. I'm putting my favorites here, please add more in your reblogs. I'm not pointing to Microsoft Word because I hate it.

Local on your computer:

1.

LibreOffice (https://www.libreoffice.org/), Win, Linux, Mac.

Looks like early 2000 Word, works great, imports all formats. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

2.

FocusWriter (https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/) Win, Linux.

Super customizable to make it look pretty, all toolbars hide to be as non-distracting as possible. Can make typewriter sounds as you type, and you can set daily wordcount goals. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

3.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) Win, Mac, iOS

The lovechild of so many writers. Too many things to fiddle with for me, but I'm sure someone else can sing its praises. You can put the database folder into a Dropbox folder for cloud saving (but make sure to always close the program before shutting down).

Web-based:

4.

Reedsy bookeditor (https://reedsy.com/write-a-book) Browser based, works on Firefox on Android. Be aware that they also have a TOS that forbids pornography on publicly shared documents.

My current writing program. Just enough features to be helpful, not so many that I start fiddling. Writing is chapter based, exports to docx, epub, pdf. You can share chapters (for beta reading) with other people registered at Reedsy.

5.

Novelpad (https://novelpad.co/) Browser based.

Looks very promising, there's a youtuber with really informative videos about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHN8TnwjG1g). I wanted to love it, but the editor didn't work on Firefox on my phone. It might now, but I'm reluctant to switch again.

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So, this is my list. Please add more suggestions in reblogs.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Too Wicked to Kiss. By Erica Ridley. 2010.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Gothic Love Stories #1

Summary: From the ravens circling its spires to the gargoyles adorning its roof, Blackberry Manor looms ominously over its rambling grounds. And behind its doors, amid the flickering shadows and secret passageways, danger lies in wait…

Evangeline Pemberton has been invited to a party at the sprawling estate of reclusive Gavin Lioncroft, who is rumored to have killed in cold blood. Initially, his towering presence and brusque manner instill fear… until his seductive attentions and unexpected vulnerability conquer her resistance.

But when a guest is murdered, Evangeline is torn. Could the man to whom she is so powerfully drawn, also be a ruthless killer?

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: physical abuse, explicit sexual content, violence, blood

OVERVIEW: This is the second book on my Halloween Historical Romance Project 2024. I've read I think one book by Ridley before, so I figured I'd give her another shot. Overall, I think the Gothic/murder mystery plot of this book was entertaining, but the romance could have been given more finesse. Ridley starts out with a fairly strong premise, but somewhere towards the middle-end, it gets a bit tedious. Thus, this book only gets 3 stars from me.

WRITING: Ridley's prose is about what you would expect from the romance genre. This doesn't mean it's bad: it flows rather well and balances showing and telling. It's rather quick and easy to get through, so lovers of the genre will appreciate it.

I do think Ridley had a tendency to repeat some things, however. I noticed that Gavin's POV tends to overuse the word "chit," which is as annoying as it is disrespectful. Granted, he's not supposed to be a nice guy, but the repetitive use of the term was enough to pull me out of the story.

PLOT: The non-romance plot of this book follows Evangeline Pemberton, a young woman who has the ability to see into the past, present, and future through physical touch. Evangeline is on the run from her abusive stepfather, but unfortunately, she has been roped into accompanying her friend Susan Stanton and her mother to a two week party at the home of one Gavin Lioncroft - recluse and suspect of murder ten years past. Susan's mother aims to compromise her daughter and Lioncroft in a desperate attempt to see Susan married to someone with money. But when a prominent peer ends up dead, Evangeline finds herself (and her abilities) being used by multiple parties to solve the murder and serve their own interests.

The murder-mystery aspect of this plot was quite entertaining. I liked the tension that came with having a murder occur in a Gothic house and everyone blaming Gavin on account of his reputation. Yet we suspect he is innocent, so the story becomes one of trying to figure out if we believe him and who might be the real criminal. It made for a lot of interesting talk about how people treat those with checkered pasts and how monstrosity is formed by treating people like monsters. I found this angst quite compelling, which made the mystery itself more interesting.

I also appreciated the stakes that Evangeline herself faced. Because she is threatened with so many consequences and manipulated by multiple parties, it felt like there wasn't a clear way out without doing something to harm another person, and I enjoyed the effect this had on the narrarive.

However, the pace of the plot slowed down about 2/3 through before rushing to finish all at once towards the end. I would have liked to see more deliberate clue-finding at this stage rather than relying on Evangeline's reason.

ROMANCE: The romance between Evangeline and Gavin is ok. In my opinion, it wasn't handled as well as the murder mystery, but that may be an opinion informed by my personal tastes more than anything.

CHARACTERS: Evangeline, our heroine, is sympathetic in that she's at the mercy of a lot of different parties. Not only is she the legal property of her abusive stepfather, but she also has little standing with her friend Susan and Mrs. Stanton on account of their class. As such, it was easy to be on Evangeline's side for a lot of things. I also found her clairvoyance interesting. I usually don't read historical romances with a supernatural element, but it felt natural enough and even helped drive some narrarive tension.

Gavin, our hero, is actually at his most interesting when trying to negotiate between the image people have of him and his true self. He had an attitude of "if you believe I'm a monster then I'll be a monster," but over time, we learn that he's mostly lonely. It was an endearing arc. The only thing I wish Ridley had improved on was Gavin's anger. He's supposed to have a legendary temper, which doesn't help his reputation, and that's fine, but I wish we had seen him struggling to check himself more often so his transformation would be more believable.

Susan, Evangeline's friend, was fun. She provided much-needed levity and was a good confidant for our heroine, even though Susan's mother did everything in her power to keep them apart. I could tell Susan was desperate and felt fairly sorry for her, especially since it was her mother that was driving a lot of the entrapment plan.

The guests of the house were a nice varied bunch of characters, and I liked that they were all trapped in Blackberry Manor together. They had interesting dynamics and all had motives to kill, making the whole mystery feel a bit like the Clue movie (just without the humor).

For one, I found it difficult to believe that the protagonists' attraction to one another overrode the very real concerns they had. Evangeline seemed to wholeheartedly believe Gavin was a bad man and even compares him to her stepfather at one point, but she goes ahead and kisses him anyway. To be fair, there are some lines about physical attraction overriding sense, but I would have preferred to see a gradual evolution where the physical stuff doesn't happen until Evangeline decides that Gavin is not the monster she thought he was.

For two, it felt like Gavin and Evangeline kept flip flopping on their opinion of one another, which got a little frustrating. One minute they felt like allies and completely trusted one another, sharing emotional truths that deepened their intimacy. The next minute they're thinking the other is a liar and a schemer and their emotional vulnerability meant nothing. I personally would have liked to see their emotional intimacy build over time rather than going back and forth so much. Maybe one feeling of betrayal is fine, but if the two can't make up their minds about one another, I have a hard time wanting their romance to succeed.

TL;DR: Too Wicked to Kiss is a fairly fun Gothic murder mystery that investigates what it means to be judged according to one's past mistakes. I can't say, however, that the romance was handled as deftly as I would have liked, and the flip flopping got a little tedious after a while, but overall, I was entertained.

[pendinghope]

Two worlds - I’ve definitely started watching this drama before but I don’t remember what happens in it. Eh may as well try watching it now. Honestly I’m just trying to figure out when I watched this before now. Eh who knows, I’ve watched a lot of dramas. Well at least this will keep a record of them. Anywho, show intro. Ahem: There is a tale that when the pond shines blue one will reunite with the deceased. An artist and childhood friend reunite after years (?) apart. What is the relationship between them? Murder, betrayal, love, loss, what lies in store for the artist?

Tale of a Thousand Stars - I watched this a couple years ago. I enjoyed it. There’s one iffy plot line with medical inaccuracy (weird soul connection that’s confusing and unnecessary in my opinion). Other than that I enjoyed it and the storyline.

2gether the Series - I watched this a while ago and can’t remember enough of the beginning to give an overview. Takes place in university and is a romance show. Well that’s all I can think of at the moment. I’ll make a more organized list of shows with summaries later, these are just my rambled summaries at the moment.

Because of you - Seems fun so far. Three brothers are heirs of the Yuan company. Same father, different mothers, the three care for each other in their own way. Through all their bickering, they are brothers. Rumors of another Yuan son in existence, what will these brothers do? (Just a short and sweet romance. I expected more of a plot with all the kidnappings and attacks but that is not the plot line of this show)

Manner of Death - It feels sad and I don’t feel like watching something sad so I don’t know what this one is about. If it has a good ending then maybe I’ll watch it but I don’t think it does. I’m just not in the mood for another bad ending. If this show is for you then enjoy!

Laws of Attraction - this one’s scare me. I know there’s going to be like a lot of manipulation, secrets, and plotting so I’m just uh not prepared for that at the moment. I can’t write an overview on it since I haven’t seen it yet so uh, good luck and have fun!

To Sir, With Love - the reason I know about Laws of Attraction is because I watched this one. Woo! The characters are very different. Anyway, hmm. I can’t think of a good overview at the moment but I’ll probably be back to write one. Super cute, I highly enjoyed it and I love the brother. There’s drama, mystery, romance, and bad*ss characters. There’s one plot line that’s dragged out for a while and once you think you can’t hold on anymore it gets revealed. So stay strong, it’s worth it. The setting is in an older time period during a war or invasion (sorry I don’t remember correctly. I believe it was Japanese occupation? I’m not good at history but I’m fairly sure that was the premise of the story). Anywho, two brothers born from different mothers grow up as heirs to a company (I can’t remember specifics, I’m sorry). Meant to be rivals, they bond and care for each other as amazing siblings. They are super supportive. With war on the horizon and hidden plots going around, what will become of these brothers? Who is this mystery woman? Is that an assassin? Oh dear…

The World Owes Me a First Love - Appears to be a cute romance. I’ll check it out later.

Long Time No See - A novel writing hitman wants to retire. Will he be able to leave this life behind?

Rebound - I love basketball man. I should really start playing again. Anyway, old friends reunite. A basketball club in flames. What will happen?

My Sweet Dear Korean bl - Chef versus Chef, what will become of the dueling cooks? (Honestly it’s a nice cute movie)

The Tasty Florida - movie. Cute so far. I’m halfway through this. Some drama was going down so I just needed a breather.

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding - Cute short series. Nobleman Ryu gets married only to find out that his supposed to be wife is missing and her brother took her place. Watch as they work together to find out what happened to the supposed-to-be-wife and keep their cover from being blown.

At 2500 in Akasaka - Old university classmates reunite after receiving the leading roles of a bl film. As co-leads these two will need to learn how to work together. Will they support each other? What happened in the past? (Honestly I’m only two episodes into this one at the moment, I hope the intro was a good enough overview).

Why r u - there’s a Korean version and a Thai version. I’ve seen some of both of them, they seem good so far. Both take place in university but the Korean one focuses on acting and production whereas the Thai one doesn’t. I like both. They’re fun. Hatred spewing between the two, a rivalry arose as one’s romantic interest was seeing both of them. While disliking each other, the main character’s sister is having the time of her life writing a bl novel taking inspiration from her surroundings. Unfortunately for our main character, that includes him. After making a bet with his sister, main character is now afraid that the novel is coming to life. What will the mc do now? Ah I finished one version, it was super cute. I loved the ending.

[suryaprabisha1]

Nailing the ‘Tell Me About Yourself’ Question in Your Job Interview

The dreaded “Tell me about yourself” question is a staple in almost every job interview. It’s often the first question thrown your way, and how you respond can set the tone for the rest of the interview. While it may seem simple, this open-ended query can be a stumbling block for many job seekers. In this blog, we’ll explore the art of nailing the “Tell me about yourself” question and turning it into a powerful tool to leave a lasting impression on your interviewer.

Why Is It So Important?

Before we delve into crafting the perfect response, let’s understand why this question carries such weight in an interview:

First Impressions: This question often marks the beginning of the interview, making it your first opportunity to make a positive impression. Your response sets the tone for the conversation that follows.

Direction Setter: Your answer provides the interviewer with an overview of your professional background and personal attributes. It helps them decide which aspects of your experience to explore further.

Ice Breaker: It can be a great icebreaker, allowing you to establish rapport with the interviewer and ease into the interview conversation.

Crafting Your Elevator Pitch

To succeed in answering the “Tell me about yourself” question, think of it as your elevator pitch—a concise, engaging summary of your professional journey and what you bring to the table. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft the perfect response:

Start with a Hook: Begin with a memorable opening line that grabs the interviewer’s attention. This could be a brief personal anecdote, a notable achievement, or a statement about your passion for the industry.

Highlight Your Career Trajectory: Next, provide a high-level overview of your professional journey. Mention your current position, job title, and the organisation you work for. Briefly touch on your relevant work experience and career progression.

Emphasise Your Achievements: Highlight a few key accomplishments or experiences that showcase your skills and qualifications. Focus on achievements that directly relate to the job you’re interviewing for. Use metrics or data where possible to quantify your impact.

Demonstrate Alignment: Show how your background and skills align with the specific role and company. Mention why you’re interested in the position and how it fits into your career goals.

Inject Personality: Don’t forget to inject a bit of your personality into your response. This can help you connect with the interviewer on a more personal level. Mention hobbies or interests that are relevant to the job or demonstrate your well-roundedness.

Keep It Concise: While it’s essential to cover the relevant points, remember to keep your response concise. Aim to deliver your elevator pitch in about 2-3 minutes. Rambling or providing excessive details can dilute the impact of your message.

Practise, Practise, Practise: Once you’ve crafted your response, practise it until it flows naturally. You don’t want to come across as rehearsed, but you should be comfortable and confident when delivering your pitch.

Sample Response

Here’s a sample response to give you an idea of how to structure your answer:

“Sure, I’d be happy to. I’m currently a [Your Current Job Title] at [Your Current Company], where I [briefly describe your role and responsibilities]. Over the past [X years of experience], I’ve had the opportunity to [mention a significant accomplishment or project].

One of my proudest achievements was [briefly describe an achievement, using specific metrics if possible]. This experience taught me [mention a valuable skill or lesson] that I believe will be an asset in this role.

I’ve always been passionate about [mention your passion or interest related to the job]. That’s one of the reasons I’m excited about the opportunity at [Interviewer’s Company], as it aligns perfectly with my background and interests.

Outside of work, I enjoy [mention a relevant hobby or interest that highlights your personality]. I find that it helps me [mention how this hobby or interest benefits your professional life].

In a nutshell, I’m a [Your Key Strengths] professional with a passion for [Your Passion], and I’m eager to bring my skills and experience to the team here at [Interviewer’s Company].”

Final Thoughts

The “Tell me about yourself” question is your chance to shine and make a memorable first impression. By crafting a compelling and concise elevator pitch that highlights your qualifications, achievements, and personality, you can leave a positive impression on your interviewer. Practise your response until it feels natural, and remember to tailor it to the specific job and company you’re interviewing with. With the right approach, you’ll be well on your way to nailing this crucial interview question. Good luck!