#my most bizarre/incredible fandom experience to date

[hleonaa]

Thinking about that time I was going through the comment section of a cover of Zui Meng on youtube and came across a comment by my college professor. My middle aged Italian math professor who apparently has also watched the entirely of CQL.

[whoslaurapalmer]

i want to know about your fic! is that cheating? is it meant to be a surprise?

technically!!!!! it is in fact a surprise!!!! because it is secretly for a person!! I will give the following incredibly vague details --

1) i hope to get it done within the. oh I wanted to have it done by the 20th I think but it will uhhhh probably take. longer. by god, it's already the 11th. I regularly and vastly underestimate time. but I hope not much longer than that!!!! hopefully a week after at the latest??????

2) objectively it has the funniest shenanigans. but also like......I am trying to keep them in character. but also not. experience the EXTREME second hand embarrassment that can come with these shenanigans, bc second hand embarrassment physically hurts me

3) a long long time ago (2008.) the mcr website had a blog section that gerard used REGULARLY, and once posted about calling second hand embarrassment The Motts (and since it's gerard, it does and does not make sense in context.) and ever since then whenever I experience second hand embarrassment I think 'oh no gerard way I am feeling the motts' so my notes very frequently say DO YOUR BEST TO AVOID THE MOTTS.

4) lemony is there!!!!!!! beatrice and bertrand are mentioned in passing. ......other characters show up.

5) the fic spans a great deal of time. like.........a GREAT deal of time. damn.

6) I have never written this trope before but I have read a great deal of it in my time, it was very popular in the les mis fandom? which I have read TOO MUCH fic for. I always wanted to write fic for it and still have lots of wip documents, but I think my les mis fic potential days have passed me by. I still love the amis a great deal, though. anyway it's also not quite that trope, and that's very thrilling. that's where a great deal of the amusement comes in. If I can navigate it right. oh but it's also a very old trope, actually!!

6a) I mean, you see tropes in fic sometimes and think of them as very fic specific, and I think some things very much are, but also, people have been telling the same sorts of stories for an age, and i was actually able to tell my mom about the plot and have her understand it bc she's seen movies with the plot. which is very bizarre, usually this does not happen.

6b) although I do wonder now, isn't this trope like the worst way to get enjolras and grantaire together. well, I guess it depends on how you're writing them, honestly. I think the most well-known fic with this trope did it well, now that I think about it

7) I think. I am going to split it into two chapters. and........see the first half took about a weekish of planning to get the Reasons things were happening to make sense. so if push comes to shove and I only finish the first half by whatever date it was, I will post that, and then, do the second half. which is less structured but still needs. you know. things to stand on. just less things.

8) it tentatively had a title but then I thought, it would be better as a chapter title maybe, so then I figured out the other chapter title, and now I am. Missing an overall title.........

9) the titles, though, are from the songs the maze and I know how to speak by manchester orchestra.

10) potentially, a candlelit dinner may take place. there will be bread.

11) one of my notes just says 'it's the most unsexy [REDACTED] of all time'

12) someone's gonna get kissed eventually though despite my subpar skills at writing physical romance contact!!!!!!

13) I worry about it a lot, though. Just, making the fic, make sense right in general. I know what I'm aiming for but there's still a lot of uncertainty in getting there, sometimes. and it happens all the time, in everything I write!!!! every writer goes through that, in every piece. never stops being very nerve-wracking, though. And I don't think I've ever really written something like it before. so!!!!!!!! we'll see. I'm rooting for it.

[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

Mrs Kirk {Part 3}

Fandom: Star Trek

Pairing: Jim Kirk x Reader  (She/Her identifying)

Warning: N/A

Writer: @imaginesofeveryfandom aka @thequeenofthehobbits

Summary/request: You and Jim get married. Accidentally. On a new federation planet. Without knowing about it. Turns out its legally binding. Fuck.

Part 1 X, Part 2 X, Part 4 X

Jim clears out a space for your things in his wardrobe and in his drawers, it reminds you of those times back on Earth where your relationships would grow serious and you’d slowly move little bits into their house. Except this is already serious and it’s all your things. Your underwear next to his, you uniforms next to his, your boots next to his. It’s odd the mix of blue and gold.

“My wardrobe looks like some sort of 21st century nightclub.”

“I’m not going to lie I’m not sure if I like the colour combination, Captain. You might need to get a blue shirt now.” You sat down on his your shared bed, watching him stare at the uniforms. Maybe if it was mixed it would look better rather than one block of gold and one block of blue? Oddly enough the more you stared at it the fonder you became of the colours.

“Or you could get gold?”

“I’d look terrible in gold.” You wouldn’t, but it was funny to watch him turn on you in disbelief. It was like you’d just told him Santa Clause never existed or that no one listened to 21st century music anymore. It was sweet in a way just how offended he seemed for you at the prospect you’d ever look bad, it was a bit of boost to your confidence strangely.

“I don’t think you could look terrible in anything.” It serious, the captain voice had come out, the one that said don’t argue with me because you’ll never win.

“Aww, Captain!”

“Are you calling me captain to annoy me or are you refusing to call me Jim?” The smirk started to pull at his lips, the one that was so infamous when you were both just cadets so many years ago now. Everything about him was infamous back them; the blue of his eyes, the movement of his hips, the taste of his kiss, the smile, the hair. You couldn’t go anywhere on campus without overhearing someone talking about James Tiberius Kirk and his talent in the bed room.

“What if I call you James?” You were sure barely anyone called him James anymore, other than perhaps those reading his official name back to him. You quite liked the thought of calling him something no one else on the ship did. James was a nice name. Classic. Traditional. Some people might call it boring but then the man himself was definitely not boring.

“It’s slightly better than captain seeing as your my new wifey.” In fact he rather liked the way it sounded from you, not that he’d ever admit that. After all it was a bit soon after a surprise marriage to start fawning over you…right? Even if he’d had an interest in you from afar before strange marriages had struck him and you.  

“Wifey?” You brought your fingers up to imitate air quotations at the most ridiculous alternative to wife you’d heard. It was somehow worse than those couples that called each other boo bear and sugar muffin puffin or whatever they called each other.

“Not a fan?”

“Maybe stick to something else, James…” He’s leaning against his desk, hands back on the top of it watching you with that smile. The one you know is incredibly dangerous. The one that has made the strongest of people go giddy. It had to be some sort of charm of his, maybe he wasn’t even human? Maybe James Kirk was half human, half some mysterious race that were naturally charming to the point no one could really resist that smile?

“Alright, honey”

“Are you intending to make me divorce you?” This sort of relaxed banter is strange to have with the Captain of all people, but it’s nice. It’s nice to smile and laugh and enjoy his company. It helps put the weight of the situation to the back of your mind for the moment, the way he makes light of it, the way you make light of it.

“I’m trying to be sweet!” The old Kirk shines through sometimes you noticed, but he’s slightly different now. Captaincy had mellowed him out, made him more serious…but he still had that old streak through him. Still teased and flirted and laughed. He was still beautiful. You were older too though, no longer the girl bashful from simply looking at Jim Kirk in Xenoanthropology or too scared to talk to your new captain because of an old interest when you were younger. You’re wiser and older and being able to laugh with him is perhaps one of the best developments of growing up.

“The infamous James Tiberius Kirk, sweet?”

“Sometimes I forget we were in the academy together…you know I’m not that bad, right? So what I had sex a few times, I’m a good guy!”

“I know.”

“You were joking?”

“I was joking. Besides so what if you had consensual sex with half the academy population? It’s not like you broke any real hearts…people knew it was just sex.” The one thing that different James Kirk from the other ladies men of the academy was that he was very clear that it was just sex with him and that if someone wanted more…they wouldn’t get it. Gaila was perhaps the only one you remember getting attached to him, they had a brief but longer than typical for Kirk, sexual relationship in which she got a little attached. You had been a sort of friend and had to listen to her talk about him. But she took the ending of it well…she didn’t kill him. But the general rule was that people went to Jim if they wanted a one-night, no strings attached dalliance.

“You were the half I never slept with.”

“I’d like to say I’d remember if we ever had sex so yes, James, you never slept with me and that’s probably a good thing considering our current predicament.” You couldn’t imagine how uncomfortable it could be to accidentally marry an old one-night stand, to be forced together. At least you and Jim had very little previous interaction with each other. You could make your own opinions of each other up.

“Can you imagine? Married to a one-night stand from the Academy?”

“I didn’t have enough for the odds to be in favour of marrying a one-night stand, James.” You hadn’t really slept with lots of people at the academy, you’d dated a few people, had a few little flings here and there, but in general you’d be content with friendships and yourself. Or maybe you told yourself that you were content with that and with unrequited crushes.

“Are you saying I slept with so many people that it was actually probable?” The two of you continued to chat for a while, witty talk putting off the inevitable serious conversation about marriage, life, living together until reaching a federation outpost and then the inevitable discussion as to whether you wanted to stay married or get a divorce. Maybe it would go well and you’d decide to stay married longer or maybe it would be a horrendous experience ending in your transfer to a different ship.

The two of you were lying back on the bed side by side hours later. The bed felt comfier than yours but you weren’t sure if you’d just imagined that.

“You know what I miss?”

“What?”

“The moon, our moon. I miss moonlight filtering in through my window. I miss when it was bright and full. I loved the moon growing up. There was always something so mystical about it.” You turn your head towards him as you talk. Your mind’s eyes imagining the moon, your moon. Not all these strange moons around different planets in different systems. But The Moon. The piece rock songs have been sung about and myths have been written for.

“The moons pretty great…”

“Yeah…” You felt the exhaustion of a long day of ups and downs and accidental marriages finally hit you. Watching him with heavy eyes and the desire to get in your pajamas (that are definitely not the boring ones they give you) and go to sleep.

“Alright, time for bed, Moonbeam.” You watch him sit up and grab a pillow starting towards the sofa in the corner of the room.

“What are you doing?” You’re too tired to question the new name, but not too tired to question why he’s not sleeping in his bed and why he’s going towards the sofa. You sit up to grab his arm as he moves towards the sofa, stopping him from moving any further.

“I’m giving you the bed…?”

“You take the bed, it’s your bed, and I’ll take the sofa.” You move to sit up and get off the bed, but find Jim in front of you, arms crossed. “You’re taking the bed.” You’re not surprised he’s fighting you on this, but it’s the most frustrating thing. It was his room first he got the bed, also he was captain, surely the captain needed to be well rested?

“James…why don’t we just share? I won’t sleep if you’re on the sofa, I’ll feel bad.” You’d toss and turn and worry over it all night and that was the last thing you needed after the most bizarre day of your life.

“I just…I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” It’s sweet that he’s considering how you might feel about sharing a bed with your captain, but you’re too tired to care about it and you’re both adults. It’s not like you’re adolescents. You can share a bed and not make it weird.

“The only thing that’ll make me uncomfortable is you on that sofa.” You watch him relent and place the pillow back where it belonged on the bed.

You move away to grab your pajamas changing in the bathroom, much bigger than yours and with that notorious bath tub. He’s in bed when you walk back out, lying on his back staring at the ceiling. You slide into the other side, lying on your side and staring at the door. It’s a little awkward, but exhaustion quickly overrides any discomfort and you find yourself falling asleep without much thought to Jim lying next to you.

[revmattnyc]

Lennie

“Close your eyes and listen for Trey’s guitar.” I was fifteen years old and I was at my first Phish concert with my Uncle Lennie. The show was at Nassau Coliseum and it was February 28, 2003. I distinctly remember him telling me to close my eyes and to find the guitar as we stood in the penalty box at ice level during the second set. It was as great an experience as it was bizarre. How we ended up in the penalty box that night is still a bit of a mystery to me, but it involved Uncle Len knowing someone who was going to upgrade our seats. The seat upgrade didn’t exactly happen, but expectations were exceeded anyway.

When I think of it, most experiences with Uncle Len were somewhere between great and bizarre, certainly so when Phish was involved but also in other ways. 

Lennie is my godfather so we’ve always had a special connection. But when I started coming of age he became a mystery to me. He was the adult uncle who lived upstairs at grandma and grandpas. “Uncle Lennie’s room” was something that added to the mystery, especially since the other adults spoke about it (and him) in mysterious ways. I realize now this could be in part a projection but reality experienced is the only tangible reality we have. When I was ten and eleven years old I began receiving invites into the rarified airspace of Uncle Lennie’s room. This was because Uncle Lennie saw to it early to introduce me to Phish. I remember listening to cassette tape recordings of shows and asking questions about why we were listening to tape cassettes of live concerts and not CDs of studio albums. I also remember Lennie never really giving me an answer other than telling me to just listen.

What’s a kid who desires a relationship with his mysterious uncle to do? I listened. Then I listened some more. And then I couldn’t stop listening. At my eleventh birthday party (and my youngest brother’s baptismal party) he presented me with a gift (unwrapped like always). The gift was a Phish studio album called “A Picture of Nectar.” I remember this moment vividly and I remember a friend asking me if the music Phish played was anything like the music they played on Z-100 (spoiler alert: no). 

Within a couple years of this, Phish would take their first of two extended breaks. When they announced that they were returning I remember the phone conversation with Uncle Len and the promise that we would see a show. I was fifteen and this seemed like a long shot but Lennie was sure it would happen. And so it did. Again, I’m not certain how it all came together but I remember that first concert at the coliseum as much as I remember any other major event in my life. 

There’s a lot to make fun of in this, and I’m not naive to that. But more than the music, Phish means family to me. And while a lot of people who listen to Phish say similar sentiments—usually as they are on their way out the door for an entire summer neglecting whatever few adult responsibilities they have—for me it was and is actually family. Phish enabled me to have a connection to my godfather that if it would have existed at all it would have been entirely different. It wasn’t just Lennie; Phish enabled me to connect with other family members in ways that I couldn’t have dreamt up or written up. Older cousins, another uncle, and even another reason for my unbreakable relationship with my cousin Shaun. 

Our first family show was November 28, 2003—Black Friday. Lennie and our cousin Jen pulled me and Shaun aside during Thanksgiving dinner to tell us we were going to Phish at the coliseum tomorrow night. I’m not sure why or how my Dad and Uncle Tim dropped us off at the Marriott that night, but they did. And there we were: me and Shaun “pregaming” at the bar inside the Marriott with Uncle Lennie, Uncle Brian, cousin Jen, cousin Patrick, and others. The most notable other was an honorary family member, one of Lennie’s best friends who received me and Shaun with Lennie from our dads. I think I remember my Mom and Aunt Donna feeling better about the whole thing because “Mic” was there. We had an incredible night and we came home tearing through my parents pantry for late night snacks. 

Even though Phish would soon take their second extended hiatus the lore of Lennie and Phish would grow. I’ve never plotted it out exactly but there is good anecdotal evidence to conclude that Len is the epicenter (some may say ground zero) of Phish fandom in the town of Islip. All of my high school friends who also listened to Phish traced their own fandom back to older siblings and relatives, or older siblings friends, who somehow knew and had a connection to Lennie. The connection largely had to do with Lennie taking them to their first shows and chaperoning them. Much of this really is one giant mystery.

My uncle (or *your* uncle as he was often affectionately called) possessed a deep and abiding love for Phish. He took the second hiatus (at the time billed as a breakup) really hard. Again, it’s easy to poke fun at this but my Uncle is someone who lived his entire life with a profound sense of pain. I’m not doing this to pronounce an amateur diagnosis but I truly believe Lennie felt the pain of being alive. He was always highly intelligent, but he was also always in great need. He tried a lot of things in his life to satisfy that great need, and all of them failed him. Phish was, fair or unfair, the one constant in his life. When Trey ended things it was devastating for Lennie. In this interim he lost his dear friend Mic to cancer and began dealing with some other issues. 

Once Trey got clean we all knew it was only a matter of time until Phish got back together again. I remember waking up early one morning in October of 2008 from a phone call from Uncle Len that the Phish website had an announcement that I needed to go check out. Sure enough, Phish was back. Their first shows back were going to be three nights in March 2009 at Hampton Coliseum in Virginia. The dates lined up with my spring break for my senior year of college. I had to find a way. And I did find a way. I scored two tickets in the public on-sale on Ticketmaster. I remember calling Len to ask how he faired. He was utterly dejected, he didn’t get through and didn’t get any tickets. I was so excited to tell him that I did get through and that he was getting my second ticket. Lennie was over the moon and we were both walking on air. That March, March 6th to be exact, we drove down to Hampton, Virginia and we saw the first Phish show in nearly five years. Uncle Brian was there too, and so was Mic’s sister Christine. It was yet another incredible experience. And so began some great experiences of seeing Phish shows together. There were also even experiences of doing “couch tour” together on New Year’s Eve (when I wasn’t going to a New Year’s Eve show myself). 

Then Lennie’s life bottomed out. His substance abuse had long reached the point of being beyond sustainable and as a result his life around him crumbled. He resolved, through a lot of outside assistance, to get treatment and help down in Tampa. And he got clean for a year. When he moved back to New York he looked great. I honestly couldn’t remember a time he had ever looked so good. He was healthy, and it was cool. Not long after moving home he began having pain, and although it was pretty rough he had experienced similar enough pain before and initially wasn’t too worried about it. So a year after he went to Tampa me, Uncle Len, and Uncle Brian met at the Garden to try and catch a New Year’s run show. Len was insistent to me and Bri that he had it, that he had a connection and would get us tickets. In years past he would come through; this time he wouldn’t. 

The pain never got better, in fact it would only get worse. Lennie would soon be diagnosed with cancer, a really awful kind of cancer. Cancer always changes the lives of the person it meets, and it was no different with Len. He would live with a colostomy bag following major surgery. Most people with colostomy bags wind up living decent and normal lives, so this was always a possibility and it was always within reach. But that’s always been the thing with Lennie: a different sort of life was always within reach. Lennie had lived an intense life, a life that was always on the precipice of being delivered to something new. I think an intense life lived on the precipice of something new is what led to the so many mysterious decisions (and non-decisions) during the course of his life. It was all too much for him to handle.

Lennie became dependent upon pain killers following his major life-altering surgery. I can’t tell if he ever saw it, I’m not sure he’s ever really admitted as much. For him it’s always been about managing his pain, that’s been his whole life’s story. The surgery got rid of the first cancer, but it left him with a different sort of life and he never seemed to work through that. He soon developed a hernia that he never addressed, which became unbearably painful. The hernia may be why he didn’t first notice the pain pressing down on his hip. In October of 2017, nine years after Phish announced their return, Lennie was diagnosed with stage four cancer. For the last year and a half a growing tumor applied pressure to his hip making life unbearable and unsustainable. It’s been hard to watch him, and especially hard recently. Lennie always had a strange resiliency about him, but that resiliency was gone.

When he first got diagnosed with cancer a few years ago I remember driving with him and him expressing his fears and sadness. He was especially concerned that he may never see Phish again. To the outside observer this may seem like an unbelievably tone deaf concern, but for Lennie it was everything. In between his first and second cancers he did get to see Phish again, twice in three nights during the famous thirteen night run at the Garden in the summer of 2017. Lennie wasn’t in great shape then, the hernia was making life difficult even if the cancer hadn’t already made its presence known. But he was there, and we were there. And I choose to remember him that way. 

I especially choose to remember him during the end of the first set on July 30, 2017. Phish was playing two songs that they always play together: Colonel Forbin’s Ascent and Fly Famous Mockingbird. During Mockingbird I remember turning around and catching Len amidst a climactic point of the song. He was standing in the middle of the aisle a few rows behind our seats basking in the glow of the lights. The lights weren’t colored or distorted, they were spotlight-like and I remember them shining directly on Lennie as he held his head back and wore one of his mile wide smiles. It’s a smile that all of us who know Lennie recognize. And it’s a smile that I had seen more times than I can count while seeing a show with him. That brief moment at the Garden is the moment that I choose to have seared into my memory in these days.

There are many other ways a reflection like this can go. I could share many other memories and many frustrations, but it’s enough now. This isn’t about revisionist history or anything like that; it’s about a recognition that rest is being granted to someone who lived a restless life. Saint Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” I strongly believe that Lennie understood this—he may have understood it in his own way to be sure, but he understood this. Len felt deep within himself that something wasn’t right with the world and he spent his whole life acutely aware of it. I don’t mean to excuse him, but I do mean to absolve him. It’s okay now. It’s okay. Fly, famous mockingbird. Fly. 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may Light perpetual shine on him.

[echoslammin]

Yuletide 2018 Letter

Dear Yuletide Author,

I’m Echoslam on AO3. Thank you very much for checking out this letter! 

General Information:

Likes: Any kind of AU, romance, friendship, introspection, worldbuilding, smut, canon-appropriate pop culture references, humor (all kinds - comedic situations, witty dialogue, running gags, memes, etc. Seriously, if you’ve ever wanted to experiment with bizarre crack, I’d be happy to be your guinea pig). I also *love* metafiction and nods to quirky game mechanics and canon in-jokes.

DNWs: Body waste kinks, poly, bestiality, non-canon incest

Most of my favorite works tend to be character studies and fluffy romance, but I definitely enjoy darker stuff as well, if that is your thing. Feel free to ignore my prompts and go with your own ideas! If there's a story you've always wanted to write, please have at it, and let me share your enthusiasm. I'm a huge fan of all of these games and am just so excited at the thought of reading fic for any of them.  

Links by Fandom:

Heroes of Might and Magic III Girls' Frontline The Secret World Liar! Uncover the Truth Liar! Office Deception Liar! Scheming Socialites

Heroes of Might and Magic III - Any Character 

I just about had a heart attack when I saw this in the tagset - I've loved HoMM since I was a kid, and III is my favorite in the series. Truly, the turn-based strategy game of my heart. I loved all flavor text in this game, especially the snippets of lore on the heroes and their backstories. If you're writing about any of them, I'd love all kinds of details - from their army composition to the spells and artifacts they have equipped.

Prompts:

Lorelei and Synca relationship development, whether as friends, enemies, or lovers. Since their specialties are harpies and manticores, respectively, how does that work out in combat? Technically, you couldn't have multiple heroes on your side of the battlefield until HoMMIV, but how would these two interact if they were fighting together?  

Anything based on the story campaigns. Maybe missing scenes from Dungeons & Devils or a "bad" ending for Long Live the Queen where the Nighon forces are victorious?

Detailed description of the siege and takeover of an enemy stronghold or the development of a new township.

One of the game mechanics that I always found interesting was how, when you open a treasure chest, you have the option of taking the gold or "distributing it to the peasants" for experience. Is that really how it works? What is the peasants' view of the heroes in this game?

少女前线 | Girls' Frontline - Any Character

Another wonderful surprise in the tagset! I just started playing GFL this year, and I've found it extremely fun and addicting. I actually found the plot very engaging, and the armory of T-Dolls is irresistibly cute.

Prompts:

I love the idea of a gift exchange between members of the Anti-Rain Squad. Maybe someone gives M16A1 a bottle of her beloved Jack Daniels?

Orchestra AU! Just...anything based on this picture would be amazing.

Anything focusing on team dynamics, especially if you want to incorporate references to game mechanics (different T-Dolls and their buffs/active skills, etc.) Or hurt/comfort after an intense firefight.

You know how T-Dolls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice a combo of manpower, ammo, rations, and parts? How exactly does the factory utilize those resources? What do they even do with all those meals ready-to-eat?

Coffee shop AU starring Persica (the woman loves her caffeine).  

The Secret World - Any Character

One of the best MMO experiences of my life. TSW combined so many things I love into one game: an awesome modern setting, dark humor, and an incredible story with amazing characters. I play the Legends reboot from time-to-time, but I prefer the original version and still like to play on the vanilla server (kind of fun having an entire MMO to yourself, heh). I've also played the tie-in game, The Park, and really loved that as well.

I was fascinated by all the narrative details in this game, like the lore honeycombs and ambient story telling. If you could incorporate that into your writing, that would be fantastic.

Prompts:

Long ago, on the TSW forums, someone mocked the idea of a schmoopy Sonnac/Geary romance as a terrible idea for a fic - I want to read that story! Whether you want to make it complete crack or be serious about it, I would love to see something develop between these two. Maybe they go on a date for tacos at Dante's stall? Or maybe Geary tries to troll Sonnac somehow, and he plays along until the last minute...and then snark ensues.

Issue #5: The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn is my favorite for a reason: filthy NPCs. I would love to know what filth-infected versions of Geary and Sonnac would be like.  

Anything Moose/Andy. This is the romance I was waiting to see blossom, but alas, it never did. What happens when Andy finally catches on to Moose's crush on him? How about rescue romance or rides on Moose's chopper? Pining on Moose's end, requited or unrequited, would be good, too.

I love the world of this game so much, especially the urban areas (the faction hubs, Fusang, Tokyo) and New England. Would love to read anything about a bee of any faction exploring and going on missions, their opinion of their handler, etc. Please do go into excruciating detail about your bee's gear and abilities, because I'm all about that. What are there primary/secondary/auxiliary weapons? Which NPCs are their besties? Tell me everything!  For the record, my main was a Lumie that chose not to side with the Dreamers, but I'd by happy to read about any faction/alignment.

I adore faction rivalries, and the ones in TSW were just awesome. Whether it's old school Templars vs. Illuminati or you get the Dragon involved somehow, I just love witnessing all the contention. Seriously, you could just write 1,000 words of back-and-forth trash talk, and I would absolutely adore it.  

ダウト～嘘つきオトコは誰？～ | Doubt ~Usotsuki Otoko wa Dare?~ | Liar! Uncover the Truth - Any Character

Since last year, I’ve become a huge fan of this mystery/romance app with its feisty heroine and the quirky Liars she has to unmask before finding her Mr. Right. If you’re interested, I maintain a sideblog dedicated to it over @whoistheliar​ as well as a random screenshots blog: @liarscreenshots. (Warning for spoilers at both links).

All of the characters in this game,"Mr. Right" included, have their own imperfections, and it feels like half the point of this game is giving you the opportunity to navigate your feelings about certain character flaws. I love how MC isn’t a blank slate and is very much her own character. She can be quite a mess at home and has a lot of insecurity about her humble background, seeing as she’s originally from a small country town (IIRC one of Joe’s side stories mentions that she’s from Akita prefecture).  

I definitely enjoyed the sequel stories, but I'm more fond of the main route of the game. Shipfic revolving around MC is something I would love to see, but I would be open to other pairings as well, especially between secondary characters. I would also welcome gen or friendship fic.

Prompts:

I loved the multiple endings you could unlock at the end of every chapter and the insight they gave into each Liar's backstory. Anything expanding on those would be great, especially the True or Love endings. I really enjoyed seeing POV from other characters besides MC.

Love triangles are my guilty pleasure, and I would definitely enjoy reading a situation where MC has to choose between two of the Liars and/or Mr. Right/Ayumi. Would love it if things got Very Emotional.

I always like marriage/honeymoon/married life stories, and MC's occupation as a wedding planner complements that wonderfully. How does she get her love interests or friends involved? Are there wedding crashers? Will she serve takoyaki at the wedding??

In the main story, MC found out each Liar's secret before things got too serious, but what if the emotional stakes had been much higher? For any of the Liars, would MC react differently if she didn't find out the truth until after falling in love over a longer period of time? Basically, I'd like to see your take on a "Bad Ending."

So, after following this game for a while, it seems that other players have very strong opinions about the various Liars, so in case it helps you, here's a summary of my take on them:

1st Liar: SQUICK. SQUICK. SQUICK. Honestly, they seems like a very nice guy in all their side stories, but stil...squick.

2nd Liar: I find their profession very interesting, so I'm a bit biased in their favor, despite their true nature. Could see them with MC after getting a ton of therapy. They also definitely have some chemistry with the 9th Liar, lol.

3rd Liar: I can't bring myself to hate them; they're just too ridiculous. Side note: I really like Nanyami as a character.

4th Liar: Never forget the fountain pen!! This guy is a bit of a tragedy, so I do have some sympathy, but imo that slap from MC was well-deserved.

5th Liar: I think the fandom unequivocally regards this one as complete garbage, and for very good reason. Still, I have to admit that their side stories appeal to my morbid side (it's like they're in a bizzarro world where MC's personality is completely erased). Also, I do find their character design very attractive - I'm not proud.

6th Liar: Umph. Definitely in my top tier along with 7th Liar. In terms of sheer chemistry with MC, I think this guy wins hands down. I'd be up for both seeing them walk away from the issue that makes them a Liar or embracing it.

7th Liar: They made me cry buckets. I love them with MC so much, and the way they're always smiling through their pain just makes my heart ache.

8th Liar: Out of all of the Liars, I felt that #8 was the most outright malicious. I just wasn’t convinced by the ending of his Lover’s Route. I know he's damn attractive, but wow, that attitude...

9th Liar: I really feel like the 9th Liar got the short end of the stick in the main story. His interactions with MC kept getting interrupted by unnecessary drama, and it felt like they never got the chance to really get to know each other. Also, LOVE Rumi!

"Mr. Right": It seems that people are really divided on this one. Some see him as the most precious cinnamon roll, but people have also told me that he comes off as a creepy stalker. (I've seen him  get called problematic more than once). I’m pretty sympathetic towards him myself, but I’d love to see your own take on him, whether romantic and sentimental or super dark.

ダウト～オフィスは男女の嘘だらけ～ | Doubt ~Ofisu wa Danjo no Uso Darake~ | Liar! Office Deception - Any Character

I love the Liar! sequel every bit as much as the original game. You can bet that I’m super hyped that Voltage is going to be releasing Lover’s Routes for it in the future. Office MC was very no-nonsense, and I would like to see what she would be like in the process of falling in love, or even just getting a chance to let her hair down and hang out with her coworkers.  

Prompts:

Post-game or redemption story revolving around any of the Liars, with the exception of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Ideally, this would end on a positive note with them being able to have a reciprocal friendship/romance with MC.

Office Battle! I was so amused by the Star Wars parody that kept popping up throughout the story and how everyone seemed to be totally into it except for MC, who’s just completely out of the loop. Maybe one of the Office Liars tries to teach her about the series or something like an Office Battle AU that’s basically Office Deception in space?

Narration of some part of the game from James’ POV. I loved MC’s cat and found it hilarious how she kept spoiling him at home while being so disciplined at the office.

Liar! Commentary:

1st Liar: Honestly, I thought they were super cute, and I wanted to see them make some more Cactaur cookies for MC.

2nd Liar: What a tool. I have to admit, I was amused by them sucking up to MC for the rest of the game after being found out.

3rd Liar: I thought they were going to be my 7th Liar 2.0, but N O P E. I found their backstory a little amusing, but they're just so slimy.

4th Liar: A real sweetheart. I love that they become MC's right-hand coworker after their chapter.

5th Liar: Not a fan of Rat Face McGee, tbh. Wtf, dude.

6th Liar: I have a weakness for "falling in love with the mark" scenarios and really wanted see it work out with this Liar. I also loved the idea of them going on to work for Uncover the Truth's 6th Liar, as was suggested in their Dumbass Ending and one of the sidestories.

7th Liar: DEEP SIGH. I love them despite their self-centered/obsessive actions. Will always be a fan of them pursuing MC, whether requited or not.

8th Liar: I like their kink, lol, and their accusation scene was hilarious. I really wish their behavior had been less invasive.

9th Liar: Just like with 6th Liar, I like to believe that they really cared for MC at the end. I think they were a perfect "Final Boss" for Office Deception especially compared to the more one-note villains. They did some horrible things to get what they wanted, even putting the 8th Liar in the hospital, but I’ve always wanted to see something that shows some of their inner conflict once they realize they’re hurting someone that has actually become a friend to them.

"Destined Partner": They've grown on me a bit, but one thing that definitely put me off was how they threw the 8th Liar under the bus during their route. (Sure, tell MC they've got a dirty secret and don't clarify at all as to what it is...) Seems like they're hiding a spiteful streak.

ダウト～セレブは華麗に嘘をつく～ | Doubt ~Serebu wa Karei ni Usowotsuku~ | Liar! Scheming Socialites - Any Character

I almost mistyped the title above as Liar! Screaming Socialites, but honestly that would be a pretty apt name for this game, because wow, does this cast go off the rails. The chapters are shorter than in previous routes, and MC is a bit more passive. I was worried this was going to be too "Gossip Girl" for my tastes, but I actually really enjoyed this one, even if my heart did get stomped on once again. (Loved the hyper Eurobeat accusation music - it was like something out of Initial D).  

Prompts:

Ship fic with MC and 8th or 9th Liar. Love triangle maybe? There's so much that was left unexplored at the end of the game. Would MC abandon her lifestyle or try win her parents over? Something based on one of the love endings would be great as well.

I also adore the potential Liar that turned out to be MC’s true BFF through thick and thin. I love how they're both anime fans and their favorite shows are clearly based on Touken Ranbu and Land of the Lustrous. Also, what exactly was BFF doing to test the 8th Liar during that awkward scene at the mountain resort in the 7th Liar chapter? I really wanted details on that, but it never got explained.

Okay headcanon: Given the similar detailing on their dresses, I think Kyoko and Reina shop at the same place. What would an interaction between them be like? Would they dish about their respective MCs?  

Liar! Commentary:

1st Liar: I have nothing but pity for this poor kid. Definitely see them still being friends with MC.

2nd Liar: Ick. One of my least favorite among all the Liars. Would like to see them get some comeuppance for their actions.

3rd Liar: This one hurt. Would really like to see them redeem themselves. Maybe they were secretly attracted to MC the whole time and just wanted to get her attention?

4th Liar: I enjoyed investigating their elaborate lie, but as a character they really fell flat for me.

5th Liar: WOW. That escalated quickly. I have to say, the 5th Liars in these games are probably the best fodder for something grim and disturbing. I think the implied rape in the bad ending was the darkest point in the entire series.

6th Liar: It felt like, with this Liar, Voltage was trying to have their cake and eat it too. Like, "Oh nooo, they're so kinky!" *wink wink* I actually really liked them despite their being the token kidnapper.  

7th Liar: I hated the way this Liar was presented. Their friendship with MC was really nice, but then it just had to get ruined.  

8th Liar: MC’s rejection of them was devastating to me. They really won me over despite the nature of their lie, and I really believed it when they claimed their feelings were sincere. For someone who was supposedly trying to con her, they did a hilariously bad job of it - like, they never tried to pressure her when she was vulnerable and even set up this really over-the-top charade just to make her happy, only for it to be what gets them exposed. It's almost like they were setting themselves up to fail. I really need a Lover's Route...

9th Liar: Surprise plot twist! This Liar was set up for some really interesting development which...did not happen. Would have loved to have seen more of their inner conflict. I ship them with MC the most after 8th Liar.

"Destined Partner": Definitely cute, but I found them to be rather pushy when they brought MC over to their place. Also, what ever happened to the pet rabbit?  

Thank you so much for your time! Hope you have a great rest of the year and a wonderful Yuletide.