#not tagging this with my answer tag because frankly it doesn't deserve it

[danwhobrowses]

My dear Critters and Callowmoores, Divergence has had its beautiful ending and thus, only the Wrap Up Party remains. The Wrap Up will officially close the book on Campaign 3 as a whole and frankly, I'm still not ready for it. If I'm honest, a lot of that unreadiness is from being nervous, because it's the last chance until the next one shot of Bell's Hells - whenever that'll be - for there to be catharsis for my beloved ship, Callowmoore.

Now, I'm not foolish enough to expect that a question or a discussion about it is guaranteed to show up - even if I do pluck up the courage to submit a question myself - and I'm not parasocially demanding that it's owed to us to be brought up either. I'm just hoping it will, but in this case 'hope' is less in the context of being confident and more in the context of being wishful - especially since even if a question is asked the answer can still risk being unsatisfying.

In the month since the finale my feelings about the ship's vague outcome hasn't really gotten better, I think LaterKaterSays said it best in their post about how we didn't get that 'shiny golden ending' - that feeling of vindication that proves that our support was not for naught, that it's real and intended and will serve as a comfort to get through the days after C3's end - but it was a little more than just that which left me a little forlorn. The finale already had us go through a lot; we had to endure Ashton dying - after it felt like everyone was finally safe - with a visibly distraught Fearne being their last embrace before their sacrifice, and then when they fell from the sky we watched Matt decide that a Nat 20 and a +1 Gust assist from Orym isn't enough for Shoebill!Fearne to catch Ashton like she wanted (but enough for Chetney at the same speed to push through a crowd and get underneath them for the Banish) and her desperate demand that the Kryn give her a beacon - all while holding Ashton's lifeless body in her arms - is brushed off without even a potential roll to try and sway the Bright Queen. Then, after Ashton comes back to life, after both of them become visibly altered in the aftermath of the god matter, and after all the other Hells and side characters get their time for their own stuff, we finally get back around to them and their last interaction's resolution is left up in the air. Every other ship gets to run, fly, and gallop off into the sunset - and I am truly happy for them, don't mistake this as me saying that they don't deserve it - and we're just left waiting, wanting, and wishing we could join them.

And then the next week is Valentine's Day.

One of the main times of the year in every fandom for a ship tag to flourish with art, writing, and overall positive content, and ours just, doesn't, not to the same extent. It feels like we're all holding our breath, holding our headcanons and creative ideas close out of fear that we'll curse or jinx it by letting it out. And I know Tal and Ashley - who I still admire greatly - didn't intend for this to be the reaction, but I think a lot of us riding into the finale were feeling hopeful, in the confident context, that things would work out and our patience would be rewarded, but then over 9 hours later, it wasn't; instead we're left reeling by a series of gut punches, nearly moments, and vagueness at the end of the tunnel.

I know that not everyone sees it this way, and there are those who are simply content or are able to lean on their other, more beloved ships for comfort - which, again, is not in any shape or form a problem or a slight if you do - but for me personally, I don't have that. This IS my number one CR ship, this is my comfort ship, and I know I made a post after the finale saying that we shouldn't sink into despair - and I do still mean every word - but as a result, this last month has been kinda rough on me emotionally. For someone who has used tumblr to do reviews and critiques, when it comes to my personal feelings I really do hate complaining - people are facing far worse problems and have far more legitimate reasons to be upset than I do after all - but I can't deny that since the finale I've felt less motivated for pretty much anything, everything just feels a little less than it used to - like a fire in me has been dimmed - and I keep looping back in my mind fearing that I missed something to explain why we didn't get the moment we wanted and could just live in forever, and I don't find it; every time I think back to their moments together I can't see anything less than the fact that these two characters love each other, that they understand each other on a level no-one else does, and, as they've already admitted to each other, they have the best time of their lives when they're together.

I know we each have our perspectives on where things go from here, and what suits them best, and yes, infinite possibilities does have its merits in this regard, but those possibilities also include bad ones that I could do without intrusively crossing my mind; I don't like fearing that Fearne will put off thinking about it, or that she won't be honest about her feelings and decides to settle for less, I also don't like feeling like this is the nervous energy we'll have to carry with us until whenever we see them next. Granted, if we do end up having to wait until the currently-unconfirmed reunion one shot with this uncertainty I Will Wait, you best believe that I will wait, but obviously I don't want to - nobody likes being persistently anxious after all, especially in places of comfort, and we've already waited a long time as it is.

If a question does get asked about it or the matter is brought up by the cast, I think all that those like me really need is assurance. Confirmation that Yes, Fearne thought about it and she didn't change her mind - that would honestly be enough. It still means the possibilities are endless, but they'll all be good possibilities that feed and encourage us to create and gush and flourish without the shadow of doubt. I have absolutely no right to ask, because in the end it's not about me, but I don't think that's asking for much; it's, after all, nothing as elaborate as retconning a hag pact that promised eternal service, or something as fantastical as bringing mortality back to an undead PC, much less doing it twice. But for those wondering what I am wishful for, that is it: that's all that I wish to get from the wrap up and that's all that I'm hoping for, and on Friday morning when I get to check it out before -and likely during - the start of my shift, I hope with all my heart that this wish will have come true.

[glittercake]

I think we should stop vague-ing on the AI stuff. The last, last ask mentioned they suspect an Anon-written multi-chapter fic with at least 3 chapters based on what they wrote, so it's kinda easy to narrow it down to which ones they might be talking about. But if people are going to send in asks that accuse fics of being AI, it should just be with their whole chest because otherwise, there are 2 recent Anon fics in the tag that have the AI cloud of suspicion on them now. So I checked. But neither have >20% on any chapter, so maybe its an older anon fic. But because the ask doesn't say, the two recent ones are the only ones to look at. (One has 3% on Ch 1, and the other is 15% on Ch 1 but both get determined to be Human Written and frankly, like you mentioned...I'm not convinced even the 15% one is AI at all because the highlighted stuff seems random. Like one bit of basic dialogue of the character introducing themselves is AI, but the large chunk of text above & below it isn't? Seems odd.)

Sorry, I know you're doing all you can to try & steer people away from witch hunt mode, but the can of worms has kinda been opened already so people should just say it and let the author say 'yes' or 'no' and then people can make their own choices...I am always about the benefit of the doubt but I like to be informed, too. :\

A person guilty of using ai to write fic will obviously not just say yeah i did it, especially if they've been passing it off as their own, as we clearly saw with that first one. They'd much rather ignore it and block comments addressing it. And authors who aren't guilty of this definitely dont deserve to get accused just because of an ai detection website.

So no, people should absolutely not go on a which hunt. They should consider all the factors and not purely take zerogpt's word for it. I suspected that person for weeks based on other factors, factors that everyone else was suspicious of too. I didn't just jump on an ai detector and accuse them right off the bat.

I get that we're all pissed but we have to be reasonable about this too. I want all the frauds gone as much as the next person, and it's shitty having to navigate this, but surely accusing people blindly is not the answer here.

I should have been clearer about it in my first post but ai detection is last resort. Use it to confirm an existing suspicion and think logically about that result. It's senseless running everything you come across through an ai detector.

[chalkrevelations]

Y'all. So many people in the tag exercised over August saying right in front of Day's salad that he couldn't think of Day as more than a friend and only kissed him out of pity ... but nobody seems to care about the fact that he was only answering the question MORK JUST ASKED.

What tf is August supposed to say when Mork has pushed the issue right in front of Day? Lie, like that's not going to be obvious? Like Day doesn't deserve the truth?

I don't have time right now for a full-blown defense of August, but I will say that I find it very very interesting that after we've seen and heard Day's version of their story, of what they used to be in the past, of August's demands and Day's accommodations, we get this episode that tells us 1) Day is not surprised when August apparently forgets his birthday because he thinks "that's August," at the very same time that 2) August has not only remembered Day's birthday but enlisted Mork's help in planning a party for him. Almost like the August that Day remembers - the August that we've seen onscreen, through Day's perspective, coloring our perspective - is not precisely the August that we're dealing with in present day. (Almost like Day isn't a perfect narrator, for whatever reasons.)

Frankly, if I was August, I probably would still have not forgiven the guy who was my doubles partner in high-level sports competition for dropping off the face of the earth with zero notice - literally in the middle of a match - in order to apparently fuck off to the US and swan around for an indeterminate period of time - per what's coming from his family - thereby fucking up my career out of nowhere and not to mention without even the courtesy of any explanation of what's going on. You think you were let down by waiting five hours for me to show up for dinner? Try waiting a year to unexpectedly stumble across you on campus one day because you can't even be fucked to text me to let me know what's going on. Day wasn't the only one who got pushed into an "arranged marriage" on their doubles partnership - that goes both ways, and August was the spouse who was left abandoned in that framework, and he's had an entire year of that, so imo he deserves some credit for being able to turn on a dime and try to build/rebuild a relationship with Day so quickly. I submit he would have had every right to still be angry, and that forgiving Day so quickly could be seen as an outgrowth of pity, as if Day can't really be held responsible for his own choices and actions.

I also think August deserves credit for the fact that his attempt at forming a romantic/sexual relationship with Day doesn't seem to come from any kind of malice, but from wanting to make Day happy. August wants to make Day happy. Is this not a primary characteristic people look for in relationships, wanting their partners to be happy? If August had discovered that, yes, he did like kissing Day, then his gamble - just like any first kiss is a kind of gamble - might have paid off for both of them. (Not for Mork, of course, so it was never actually going to go that way, because we all know who's endgame.) August is navigating unfamiliar territory, just like Day's family has been navigating unfamiliar territory, and yeah, it's awful that Day then has to sit there and hear how August is pitying him, but that doesn't make August villainous, just misguided, because this is an Aof joint, and characters are both complex and imperfect, and that means they can fuck up with the best of intentions, just like real people do. I've seen some comparison of August to Gee, and how well she's adapted to Day's new reality, but first of all the relationships are different - Day doesn't have a crush on Gee, for a start - and second of all people are different. I feel like I'm seeing a lot of the same kind of anger and shaming language directed at August that's been directed at Day's family, compounded by the fact that he was supposedly Mork's romantic rival, and we all love Mork, so fuck that guy. Only he's not, y'all. He has now made clear that he's not going to be a romantic rival.

Anyway, I'm glad that they've taken time to make even August complex and interesting and imperfect and human, I kind of love him a little bit, along with his desperate, misguided, doomed attempt to make things perfect for Day, and I really hope we haven't seen the last of him. I would really love to see August and Day be able to sit down and say "hey, i wanted to make everything nice for you to show I care" and "hey, i'm sorry i dropped off the face of the earth, but now that I'm back I don't need a pity fuck, I'm a big boy and can get over my crush," and then maybe be friends.

[cannoli-reader]

Fuck, marry, kill. Categories are: Wondergirls, taverin, Rand's wives, Aiel Wise One trio, Amyrlins. Go.

These are stupid games, and I will only entertain this one, because I think there is something to be gained in understanding the characters, in order to give a proper answer. Or just show everyone what an idiot you are.

So.

Wondergirls. Probably not hard to guess for people who know me.

F - Nynaeve. Yeah, she has a lot of puritan village elder vibes, but all three of them are rather uptight and killjoys. On the other hand, from the mouth of someone who has experience with Nynaeve: "...I'll miss having my back clawed."

Nynaeve is great in the sack. Per a guy who has plenty of experience.

M - Elayne. She's rich, she can cook and despite the entitlement and arrogance, has no problem letting someone else take the lead if it makes them happy, while being ready to step in and take character herself if they screw up. Unlike certain other people in this group, she's not going to be a ball-buster just for the sake of proving to the world she's in charge. Elayne is the one who works at being a partner. She doesn't need a leader, and she doesn't need to be the boss.

K - Egwene. If for no other reason, she's the shortest. She's a killjoy. She has the most attitude and the least justification for it. You'd have to work to find a trio that puts her into any other slot without actively evil or physically repulsive people.

Ta'veren.

F - Mat. Experience, and he's not going to make you work for it. He has an actual philosophy about seeking to make his partners happy. As opposed to "What are you doing, don't you know how hateful I am?"

M - Rand. The right balance between commitment-shy and clingy. Fertility also seems to be a strength. Easily the most responsible of the three as well.

K - Perrin. This is actually not a default, "Kill Perrin" was the first and easiest choice for this trio, before figuring out which to assign Rand and Mat. He's the worst friend and the least considerate of the trio, plus the first one to be an actual murderer. Even his episodes of self-pity are less interesting than Rand's.

Rand's partners.

F - Aviendha. One of the most athletic characters, and frankly, probably not qualified for the marriage one, given her very ta'veren-esque approach to understanding the opposite sex.

M - Elayne again. For the reasons above. Although Min & Aviendha are tighter competition for her than Two Rivers girls, they both seem a lot more high maintenance.

K - Min. I never really warmed to her relationship conduct with Rand or thought it cute or charming, and when you add in the fact that she uses sex to manipulate or extract promises she has no business asking for from her partner, you definitely don't want her for the other two places. And frankly, she's far and away the easiest target.

Wise Ones (I am assuming Bair, Melaine & Amys)

F - Bair. She's been around the block, she knows what she's doing. She seems like the one most prone to dirty jokes, which suggests she's fun.

M - Amys. She's pretty chill about Rhuarc doing whatever he wants, even if she apparently has the unfortunate habit of collecting teenage daughters. You don't see her trying to change him, either.

K - Melaine. She was apparently militantly single, before suddenly flipping and wanting a husband out of the blue, and seems like she's both a micromanager and not very good at it, and clingy to boot. Probably a lot of work in the sack, too. And for Aiel, having twins named Egwene and Min is probably the equivalent of "Sunshine" and "Peace". Or a suburban white lady naming her kids Mei Ling and Shaquana. Plus, she has the worst poker face in talks with Aes Sedai, and frankly, does the least useful stuff of the group in the story.

(For record, Sorilea goes into the Kill slot no matter whom she tags in for)

Amyrlins.

F - Egwene. Youngest, supposedly really good-looking. Probably the least deserving of execution in this trio, but for reasons above, not putting a ring on that.

M - Elaida. She can knit, and is the only one proven capable of maintaining a long-term functional personal relationship, retaining Morgase's trust and friendship as her advisor for a quarter of a century, before circumstances outside her control messed that up. Good with kids, too. The ability to get the kids to play outside in winter time canNOT be overvalued. And she doesn't let them get away with any crap or slacking either. She takes an interest in landscaping, which I absolutely hate. Maybe you don't want her as chairman of the board you're on, but she seems a pretty good partner in the day to day stuff. Also, I like her inclination to troll assholes who are backstabbing her, but she can't quite get rid of them yet, like Meidani.

K - Siuan. She's just about the worst of the significant good guys and people actively fighting for the Light. She's egocentric, and a classic pointy-haired boss. She is the worst combination of locked in to institutional thinking, and at the same time, willing to abandon established practices on (generally ill-advised) whims. You kind of get the sense that the Pattern put her in charge of the White Tower specifically because it couldn't be anything but an obstacle to the Dragon Reborn, and Siuan is the best bet to drive it into a ditch. She also sucks at laundry, and I seem to recall it being implied she's a bad cook, too. And from her interactions with Bryne and behavior in Duranda Tharne's establishment, she's probably a ton of work, highly critical and a dead fish in the sack, all in one horrific package.

That was more interesting and fun than I thought it would be. Thanks, Anon.

[a-student-out-of-time]

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@danganronpasurvivoraskblog did their own take on this and tagged me, so here's my thoughts!

I was just perusing Tumblr one day, say SDRA2 in my recommended and looked it up on TV Tropes. It was pretty interesting-sounding, so I looked into it. Not much else to say, really : P

DRA. While SDRA2 is more visually-pleasing, I think DRA has a better and more well-crafted story overall.

Faves: DRA Chapter 4 and SDRA2 Chapter 5. Least Faves: Chapter 3 for both of them.

I have a lot of great things to say about the usage of both Akane Taira and Utsuro, and their implementation in the game...but I feel like I have to give Mikado credit for actually being a villainous force throughout all of SDRA2. We got to know him as a villain and thus all that characterization wasn't crammed into a single trial.

It's a toss up between Maku and Emma, because I feel like the two of them really had a lot of personal history that you got to see in their FTEs. Maku clearly regretted his actions, and Emma tormenting him with puns was pretty funny. The Void Theater segments honestly made me want to include them in my own story, given that there was a lot of history between the Voids we didn't get to see.

Yoruko. She really deserved a break after all that.

Faves: Kanata & Akane for DRA; Hibiki, Shinji, Setsuka, Yoruko & Sora in SDRA2. Least faves: Mitch and Tsurugi for DRA; Syboi and Iroha for SDRA2

A LOT. Frankly, the entire Another series barely utilizes anyone's actual ultimate talents, and instead relies on character quirks you'll probably forget about or actual literal luck.

Iroha. She doesn't do anything to improve anybody's situation; not the main group, not the Voids, barely even her own most of the time. She's borderline useless at the best of times, and at her worst, she's selfish, bratty, petulant, brainless and just a detriment. She doesn't change, adapt, contribute or even make for a particularly interesting character, so what was the point of her inclusion, much less her survival?

Kanata. There's so much more that could've been done with her character beyond just making her the pure angel who apparently had to die horribly so we would feel bad.

Anyone who's followed me for long enough knows my answer is going to be Hibiki. Nobody got screwed over as badly as she did. Say what you will about Yuki being reduced to a brain in a jar, at least he actually survived.

Once again, Hibiki, hands down. Her survival would've been so much more meaningful and interesting, and could've contributed so much to the story and themes, as well as the conflicts both Yuki and Sora were facing.

I don't really care about the executions, but I guess Syobai's would be interesting to see. It's pretty fitting for him.

Kinji's. It was a nice mix of thematically appropriate but also completely bizarre, as we expect from DR.

Not to steal an idea from WeebyNewz, but I think DRA's first chapter would've been a lot more interesting if Kiyoka was the one who killed Mitch while trying to protect Akane.

Faves: DRA Chapter 6 and SDRA2 Chapter 1. Least Faves: DRA Chapter 1 and SDRA2 Chapter 3.

Plot twist that got me: That Mikado actually got away with murder in Chapter 5, and nobody, not even Iroha, even realized until it was too late. She genuinely thought that she was the one who poisoned Teruya, but she got played just as hard. He was this close to winning and it was actually on his own merits. Least favorite plot twist: The reveal that Kizuna was actually fake and she was just looking for a chance to kill someone. I hate the way LINUJ talks about her as the most hateable character in the game, and he clearly wanted the audience to feel that way, yet went out of his way to give her some genuinely interesting and sympathetic qualities. That whole bit doesn't feel like she's revealing her true colors, but that her personality suddenly shifted for the sake of making her an antagonist. Her death was also needlessly prolonged and cruel.

Even if they didn't act like it in the game, the Voids did have a genuine level of camaraderie and friendship that was lost when Mikado took over and convinced them they had to set up this Killing Game. When Iroha said she wanted to use the bathroom after trial 4, she was really looking for a place to cry, knowing her only friends were all gone.

SDRA2, while I don't hate it, it has some of the weakest writing I've ever seen for a fangan. The game is so focused on self-indulgence and callbacks to DRA that it doesn't communicate its theme in any clear manner. It also has this pervasively cynical, jaded view of its cast where barely any of them grow or change at all. And as I always like to bring up, you can skip Chapter 3 and miss nothing important to the overarching story, Chapter 4 was a mess that derailed the narrative and Chapter 6 is one exposition dump after another. It's a messy story that clearly needed more planning.

Point 19 having been said, I really liked the scene in Chapter 5 where Sora and Yoruko finally have a heart-to-heart about Sora's fears about her identity. It was such a cathartic and emotional moment after so many chapters of garbage and mediocrity, not to mention bitterness and anger on Yoruko's part. I wanted more moments like these, where characters genuinely talk.

//So there we go, my 20 points for the Another series. Some of these are new, others are things I'll probably never shut up about : P

@despair-to-future-arcs @thenewfuture @askthedespairkids @a-tale-never-told @tired-writer-in-progress @spyrkle4 Do you guys wanna give this a go? I'd love to hear your thoughts if you wish to share

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 38: Rescue

Listen and listen well: people who complain about this post being full of spoilers for the whole of The Wheel of Time series will be tortured like in the above image. This is your chance to get the hell away from my madness while you have a chance and I have no patience for anyone who is going to waste that opportunity. Block the tags, read the books, have a happy life!

This chapter has the Flame of Tar Valon as its icon, a reflection both of Moiraine's leading the rescue effort and of Lan's discussion of the factions within the White Tower.

Usually he collapsed like a wrung-out rag as soon as the Whitecloaks let him stop, but tonight his mind was racing. His skin crawled with dread that had been building for days.

Another favorable coincidence for our heroes. Frankly, Perrin and Egwene deserve to pass right out whenever they can after these hideous death marches they're being put through.

Light, how do I make them believe we aren’t Darkfriends when they’re already convinced we are? His stomach twisted sickeningly. In the end, he would probably confess to anything just to make the Questioners stop.

On the one hand, it's not very smart of Perrin to think that he can reason with these people when they've already established themselves to be very unreasonable. Also, killing two of someone's buddies is really no way to make friends.

On the other hand, it's very smart of Perrin to understand that the point of torture is to make the victims say whatever you want them to say. Unless he calls Egwene a whore or something I'm going to let him coast on this victory for the rest of this chapter.

Perrin tensed. Sometimes such a denial brought a lecture delivered in a grating near monotone, on confession and repentance, leading into a description of the Questioners’ methods of obtaining them. Sometimes it brought the lecture and a kick. To his surprise, this time Byar ignored it.

I have to wonder if it's Egwene getting kicked for having a smart mouth or if it's Perrin getting kicked for Egwene having a smart mouth. Both seem plausible with these fucks.

If Byar wanted them to escape? Byar, who was convinced to his marrow that they were Darkfriends. Byar, who hated Darkfriends worse than he did the Dark One himself. Byar, who looked for any excuse to cause him pain because he had killed two Whitecloaks. Byar wanted them to escape?

Oh wow, Perrin's actually thinking things through effectively this chapter! You go, Perrin. You don't even have to coast! Also, this accurately reflects your characterization as someone who seems slow because you think things through. I'm so happy.

Byar watched his changes of expression, and for the first time the Whitecloak’s eyes went to the rock he had tossed on the ground.

So, Byar doesn't know that Perrin's a wolfepath. I think what's going through his head is the realization that Perrin is a violent killer and the follow-up assumption that he might well take a rock meant to free him from his bonds and use it just effectively enough to bash someone else's skull in. Hence why he decides to kill Perrin now, because he's a dangerous man in multiple ways now that Byar miscalculated.

“Is it really . . . ?” Egwene gave a stifled sob. “We thought you were dead. We thought you were all dead.”

Speaking of people who's interiority we don't get to see right now, what has been going on in her head all this time anyway? Did she really think they were dead the whole time and was doing the dancing stuff as a "having survived a traumatic experience I'm going to throw myself into living as hard as I can"? Did she only give up hope when Perrin was so shitty about telling her they were alive or even later during the death march? I really don't know and every answer is fascinating in its own right.

He felt a prickle as it settled around his shoulders, a stab of worry between his shoulder blades. Was it Byar’s cloak he had ended up with? He almost thought he could smell the gaunt man on it.

There's something deeply symbolic about Perrin's terror that in reclaiming his axe and donning a disguise he's picked up something else, something worse, from the man he had to steal from.

A shadow stirred, and Moiraine’s voice came, weighted with irritation. “Nynaeve has not returned. I fear that young woman has done something foolish.”

What Moiraine's not saying is that Nynaeve preempted her signal here and that her fears are entirely justified since the gal just let off a thunderstorm. It wouldn't help her seem omniscient and inscrutable if she were forced to admit that the gang could so easily throw her off her schemes. Best to just roll with it.

Lan spun on his heel as if to return the way they had come, but a single whip-crack word from Moiraine halted him. “No!” He stood looking at her sideways, only his face and hands truly visible, and they but dimly shadowed blurs. She went on in a gentler tone; gentler but no less firm. “Some things are more important than others. You know that.” The Warder did not move, and her voice hardened again. “Remember your oaths, al’Lan Mandragoran, Lord of the Seven Towers! What of the oath of a Diademed Battle Lord of the Malkieri?”

Lan: Fuck my bond to you, fuck saving the world, fuck the Pattern, I'm saving Nynaeve!

Readers: Lan/Nynaeve comes out of nowhere.

Literally the only reason Lan doesn't ignore Moiraine right now is that Nynaeve comes back anyway.

“Elsewhere,” Moiraine replied, and Nynaeve muttered something in a sharp tone that made Egwene gasp. Perrin blinked; he had caught the edge of a wagoneer’s oath, and a coarse one.

Meaningless contest: Give me *your* ideas as to what Nynaeve said here. Bonus points to anyone who works in a nine horse hitch.

He still carried the white cloak, now rolled up and tied to his belt. The Warder said they must leave no more traces for the Children to find than they could help. He still thought he could smell Byar on it.

And there's gotta be more symbolism in the taint of Byar moving from something that covers Perrin directly to a mere tool on his belt.

“I believe they are in Caemlyn,” Moiraine said carefully, “or on their way there.” Nynaeve gave a loud, disparaging grunt, but the Aes Sedai went on as if she had not been interrupted. “If they are not, I will yet find them. That I promise.”

Nynaeve has a different approach to Aes Sedai bullshit than Lan's "You're dodging the question": make rude noises until they become specific enough for her liking. Their mutual contempt for the First Oath is just one of the many ways they're perfect for each other.

“You look surprised,” Nynaeve said. She looked a little surprised herself, and strangely frightened. “Next time, you can go to her.”

"Fuck you Perrin if you don't like the goop you can get Aes Sedaied! Respect me or be thrown to the witches!"

Nynaeve is always so delightfully extra.

“There was no foretelling this.” Moiraine spoke as if to herself. Her eyes seemed to look at something beyond him. “Something ordained to be woven, or a change in the Pattern? If a change, by what hand? The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. It must be that.”

You could try asking him, you know. Reassuring yourself that everything is fine, the situation is totally under control, most of the party is already back together and you totally know where the other dipshits are is all well and good when you are lucky enough to be on the right track, but what if you weren't?

“And most of what you’ve heard is wrong, no doubt. You must understand, there are . . . factions within Tar Valon. Some would fight the Dark One one way, some another. The goal is the same, but the differences . . . the differences can mean lives changed, or ended. The lives of men or nations. He is well, Elyas?”

You can tell that Lan does not remotely give a fuck about Perrin or his well-being except to the degree Moiraine tells him to by the way that he's so brutally misleading Perrin. The Red Ajah's reputation is pretty accurate even in empty farm country and the largest united faction in Tar Valon wouldn't fight the Dark One at all. Lan knows both of these things and if it were Rand in this sticky spot he'd be getting a full rundown of all Black Ajah activity that Lan and Moiraine had personally foiled.

“The Dark One can’t touch us unless we name him.” Immediately Perrin thought of the dreams of Ba’alzamon, the dreams that were more than dreams. He scrubbed the sweat off his face. “He can’t.”

Oh hey Perrin, you really are on a roll this chapter. Like, you're not right on this statement in particular, but the thrust of what you're saying - that the Shadow (or for that matter, the Light) can't choose you to serve it, only you can make that choice (bar being transformed so utterly as to effectively be dead) - is an important theme in these books.

“The walls of the Dark One’s prison. This may be the end of an Age. We may see a new Age born before we die. Or perhaps it is the end of Ages, the end of time itself. The end of the world.” Suddenly he grinned, but his grin was as dark as a scowl; his eyes sparkled merrily, laughing at the foot of the gallows.

Frankly Lan is talking so much here that I can only conclude that he's been pulled into Perrin's ta'veren effect. That said, this is perhaps the first clear indicator that Lan is deeply unwell in his own way, so effortlessly casual about the end of the world because he assumes he's going to die in the next few years anyway. His own worldview is deeply nihilistic and he really does think that at any point any of them could be turned to the Shadow. Part of that must be some personal experience with the 13x13 arrangement and/or men like Ingtar, but I think that in general he's so internalized the doomed war his childhood prepared him for that now that the stakes are changed he can't help but assume it's all doomed anyway.

But we're at the end of this chapter, so I can stop trying to figure out the psyche of everyone around Perrin and relax. Next time, we return to Rand and get our first view of the most poorly constructed palace walls of all time!

[aslitheryprinx]

It's disgusting how you're acting like Crumb and Ranboos identities are just "representation" for their audience and that by identifying however they might is just as validation for other people who identity similarly. That's a revolting way of viewing them. They are people.

They're in their right to identify however they like and I know I sure as hell wouldn't want to publicly express my identity if it meant people would just look at me like a fucking tv show character made for someone else's validation rather than a real person.

Their identities are not your "representation". They're real people you self entitled prick.

You are part of the reason of why creators choose to stay closeted.

Oh wow my first ever anon hate! 🤗 Surprised I haven't gotten any yet tbh!

You're also clearly from Twitter, because you're excellent at misinterpreting what I said and turning it into a completely different meaning!

For context, all you beloved people who do NOT include anon here, this is what I said, my words exactly:

Funny how me being excited for these two content creators being open with their identities is mutilated into me seeing them as nothing but tv show characters.

Did I use the word representation? Sure.

But hey, guess what you stuck filing cabinet, representation is used for more than just a character in a TV show. For example:

Representation in government; representation in the workforce; representation in the theater and film- as the people behind the screen not just characters.

And yes. Representation of content creators. That is how I used the word representation.

Did I ever say I was entitled to their identities? No. I said I was fucking proud of them and so excited because their actions, and the representation they are bringing -because no matter what narrative you're trying to sell here, they are bringing so much representation to their field and the internet as a whole (which is a good thing, btw)- is inspiring and gives me hope for the future.

But no, clearly you're the real hero for telling me, (a nonbinary individual, just fyi), that I am the reason content creators are closeted. Because clearly it's my support and excitement for what they're doing that's the real problem and not cowards too scared to show their faces that twist people's words to make drama under the guise of caring.

Have a nice day, and hopefully your personality will get a little bit more flavor than cauliflower in the future! <3

[not-poignant]

🤯, 🤭 & 💔 for the kinkmeme

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

The ones I'm not writing, lmao.

Okay but in all seriousness, I would say I struggle with mysteries, because I don't enjoy them in general. (I'm that person who always looks up the answer so I don't have to deal with the 'mystery' part which I generally find incredibly boring, so no, I can't really write the genre either). Ditto westerns.

I actually don't think I really struggle with romance, contemporary, action, fantasy, adventure, science fiction, erotica etc. I don't even struggle with hard science fiction. I don't think I'd struggle that much with horror or psychological or even supernatural thriller. Every time I've written elements of horror or thriller genres into my works, it's been pretty well-received actually. I'm just not really drawn to it. Genres are pretty easy to 'get' frankly (I did a media degree, I have done tertiary study of genre, so...formulas I understand). I struggle less with genre and more with base conceptuals that can be found in any genre - for example, I struggle with plot-based over character-based storylines. And that's true in any genre.

Oh! Actually I think maybe I struggle with procedurals and 'case of the week' style writing. That's what Eversion was supposed to be, and I profoundly did not like doing it, so basically removed Connor from the case and told a different story, lol, so I think that's one too!

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

It's two and they go hand in hand: Angst and hurt/comfort. I think they're on just about every single one of my works. And they're usually among the first two I add.

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Hmmm.

Strange Sights because it represents a time in my life that was extremely damaging for me, to the point where I nearly have deleted it several times (I won't though, it doesn't hurt in the same way anymore - time heals some wounds and all that).

All of The Ice Plague because it just did so badly re: engagement (Underline the Black is about to eclipse TIP 3 for kudos in almost a quarter of the time and far less words, lol, sigh), and it became the death knell of the Fae Tales canon, which was supposed to continue. I grieved that for years, on and off, until I finally accepted reality. In TIP 1, we could say it was just...teething issues. In TIP 2 (which did worse than TIP 1) we could be like 'oh well, these things happen.' In TIP 3, which has done the worst of any long fic I've ever written, across two separate accounts, I just put my head in my hands and never felt further away from trying to draw in readers and keeping my career going. I can't tell you how many times I nearly quit.

(I had some great times writing it, but I also had a lot of 'why am I even still doing this to myself' times while writing it too, and then I'd remember the readers that were engaging with it and commenting on it, and I'd remember like... I need to make a living, and I'd also remember that the characters deserved their happy ending, and I'd keep going).

Honestly, nothing else really comes close to TIP, especially TIP 3. I actually felt relieved when it ended. Everything I've written since has been more popular and drawn in more people. It speaks for itself. It just makes me sad as well, that proportionately, less than 1/7 of the readers of Game Theory ever got to read Augus and Gwyn's true happy ending and epilogue, in All that We Were, All That We Will Ever Be. It's just a massive drop off overall, and makes me feel like I let folks down.

-

From the fandom meme

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Anonymous asked:

Right, I loved your tag, I also dislike adlock with passion. Atleast with this Irene because, don't get me wrong if you don't like book Irene but I absolutely adore book Irene. There were things to admire about her. This Irene is just pure evil. Nothing to admire about her. And people says it's where we see Sherlock as human for the first time ? Did you see Sherlock worrying about John in TGG and putting that bomb off ? (I'm not a johnlock Shipper but I don't mind it). Sherlock has always been human. And John Watson is his missing puzzle piece. I wish Irene Adler was more like the book one. I love her. A woman, winning over men with her mind is empowering rather than using sex as a tool. Yes tool, not even a weapon.

Haha! Sorry for blabbering but I saw the linked answers which you attached and yes, about Irene Adler. Through work, rivalry, adventures you come to admire alot of people, it's not necessary that you wanna fuck them or be involved with them. Sherlock is Sherlock. And Moffat (that horny little guy) can never convince me that a guy like Sherlock Holmes, who doesn't take credits for solving lestrade's cases, takes least money sometimes from clients would admire someone who's introduction says that she broke off a happy marriage by having affair with both parties. It's shameful that admirable. in book though there was many things to admire about her. She fought for her love, and her deserved happy life alone, she OUTWITTED Mr great detective, she earned his respect. She didn't manipulate him or lose to him, she didn't need his bloody help. She had her motto, she wasn't a pawn to Moriarty. I love book Irene Adler.

=====

kabubsmagga said: Frankly, I loved it! It's the first time that we see that Sherlock is human, in my opinion.

====

re: the being human, in my opinion we see Sherlock "being human" since ASiP the second he gave new meaning to John's life... he deduced John was suicidal (it's not said explicitly, but he picks up EVERYTHING else about John); his actions following inviting John to live with him show that. But AGAIN, my opinion! <3

re: Nonny: I don't know enough about book Irene other than what I read from other people and what I've seen in other adaptations, that Holmes admired her for being clever and not letting anyone shit on her, but I really like her just from that limited knowledge.

And yes, I agree, BBC Sherlock has been human since day one as I mentioned, IN MY OPINION, but I've also spent WAY too many hours nitpicking and analyzing every frame of the pilot, S1-3 and TAB, LOL.

And YES, that's what I meant re: her being empowering just by being clever. I adore your admiration for Irene, Nonny. I think it's the same sort of interest in her you have that I have for Mary as a villain. I can appreciate it :)

Hi, am I the only one who didn't like Irene Adler and her episode? Wasn't it stupid and out of character for Sherlock? I mean.. he despises when people hurts others and have fun in it so how can he get intrigued by her. Irene is creepy on the same level as magnessun (I think I misspelled) but no one talks of it. Also saving her with a sword from a terrorist camp who has ak 47 and stuff was absolutely a marvel Avengers or DC film. Nothing like Sherlock Holmes. Am I the only one who disliked it?

Hey Nonny!

Ah, no, many people don't like it... I actually didn't like it at ALL when I first watched it, and only through fandom interpretations and learning about meta did I come to like it "a bit". But after the gong show of S4, I just really think Mofftiss has a "hurting Ben" kink, I dunno.

Like, don't get me wrong, everyone, I love theorizing about Her and Sherlock being mirrors and it makes the episode a lot more tolerable, but I dislike the disrespect to her canon character in ASiB. I dunno, I don't really like her at all as a character in BBC Sherlock, but all the characters in the series get raked over the coals eventually.

[fanmoose12]

a little something for @bruciesnat :) i know i've promised it like a lifetime ago, sorry for the delay! oh, and i decided to combine it with a prompt i also received a long while ago <3

Mike doesn't know why he's doing this. Doesn't understand how he agreed to it, can't comprehend why Erwin would make him do it. Mike doesn't know what he had done to deserve this- this punishment.

He's- he's a good man. An honest one. He serves to ensure the future of humanity, he risks his life to give others a better one.

He's good at it too, he's excellent at fighting and slashing and scouting. He was the best one at it, before- before the annoying midget came.

The same annoying midget, who is insanely strong and easily irritated. The same annoying midget, who has a crush on their adorable Hange. Hange, who Mike has to seduce to test Erwin's theory that Levi, insanely strong, easily irritated Levi, truly has a crush on their Hange.

Mike swallows heavily as he sits next to Hange, just a little too close as Erwin instructed. He smells that it won't end well.

He cringes, as he puts his arm around her shoulders.

Mike likes Hange, a lot actually. Sometimes he feels like they're siblings that were torn apart by some bigger entity. So yeah, he likes Hange. But definitely not like that.

But, oh well, anything for the cause, right?

"Hey, Hans," he murmurs, adopting his most seducting tone. He hopes that his smile is charming enough to captivate their dear scientist. "Are you free tonight? I have two tickets to the theater perfomance," he leans in closer, lowering his voice to what could probably (Mike is an eternal optimist!) be called an enticing whisper. "They're showing the creation of the the Walls tonight."

Somewhere on his periphery, Mike can see a swift dark shadow that oozes the smell of detergent. That shadow, it grows closer, its aura becoming more menacing.

Mike can only hope that if Levi attempts to kill him, Erwin would intervene.

Although... knowing Erwin, he'd just write Mike's death off as a necessary sacrifice.

He takes his hand off Hange. The shadow retreats a few steps back.

"Sorry, Mike," Hange shrugs with a small, apologizing smile. "I showed that play to Levi a few weeks ago. I had my fill of religious propaganda for now. But if you're looking for someone to accompany you," she winks and turns around. Mike's heart sinks. "Levi really liked going to the theatre! He'll be happy to tag along, right, Levi?"

Mike meets Levi's eyes, and sees nothing but desire for murder inside.

Mike quickly scrambles to his feet. "You know, I'll just ask Gelgar to go with me. I'm sure he doesn't have anything better to do."

And they can get wasted afterwards. Mike really needs that after this conversation.

Just as he retreats, Levi takes his place, sitting down next to Hange, also just a little too close.

The mission had failed spectacularly, but, Mike consoles himself, at least he learned that Hange and Levi went to theatre together. And sometimes intel is more important than the victory, right?

Ah, if only Erwin would share his opinion on that.

***

Erwin's second attempt is even worse than the first one, but, at least, this time it doesn't directly involve Mike. Still, he's an unwilling spectator to it, and, just as the last time, he doesn't like where all of this is going.

He already feels bad for the poor guy Erwin hired to hit on Hange during the annual military ball. Where did Erwin get the money - did he take them from the Corps' funds or his own allowance, Mike doesn't know, and, frankly, he isn't sure which option is more disturbing.

At least, the actor is handsome, Mike doesn't know if Hange would like him, he doesn't know if she has a type, and if she does, he hopes it's not annoying midgets, but the guy is handsome, there is no denying that.

Hange has cleaned up fairly well too, the white suit looks excellent on her, bringing out all of her best assets, demonstrating her wide hips and lean, long legs. The hair, gathered in a neat bun, shows her long, gorgeous neck, and the light make-up make her even more gorgeous than usual.

When she and Erwin walked through the front door - him in his blue suit and Hange in her white, symbolising their Wings of Freedom, everyone had their breath taken away.

Even Mike was a little shocked to see Hange dressed up like this, and Levi, who stood right next to him, was completely blown away, staring at Hange with wide-eyed, lovestruck look.

Thanks to Levi's ridiculous expression, Mike now understands why Erwin goes to such length to bring their resident weirdos together. It is delightful to watch Levi behave like that, and Mike longs to see more of this side of him.

Soon after Hange and Erwin make their grand entrance, their guy makes the first move.

He approaches Hange, his eyes bright and smile so charming it makes Mike envious that Hange is at the receiving end of it. He kisses her hand, whispers something in her ear.

"He praises her recent experiment. I thought it was a good place to start," Erwin explains quietly to him.

"Ah," Mike nods. So Erwin thought every detail through? Not surprising at all. "Think this would have an effect on Levi?"

"It already does," Erwin says, pointing to a furious cloud of black hair and suit that is approaching them at a rapid speed.

"Has four-eyes lost all shame?" Levi practically growls, his eyes throwing flames. "Is she seriously flirting with a fucker from the MP?"

"He's not a soldier," Mike answers, reciting a legend Erwin created. "He's actually a wealthy merchant from the South. Heard he sells apples to the King himself."

"And since when Hange is interested in someone like him," Levi crosses hands on his chest, his glare turning even darker, as Erwin's actor takes Hange by the hand and leads her to the dance floor.

"You know, you can ask Hange to a dance," Erwin advices with a pleased smile. "Then she won't be able to flirt with others."

Levi scoffs. "I would rather fight a horde of titans than dance with stinky four-eyes."

Maria, Rose and Sina, Mike thinks. They're worse than children.

"Hange has taken a bath before coming here," he tells Levi.

Levi rolls his eyes. "And now she looks even more awful than usual."

Mike shares a look with Erwin. Does Levi prefer usual Hange, when she doesn't bath for days and her eyes water from the lack of sleep? It almost sounds cute.

"This is the last time I'm attending this shitty ball," Levi swears to Erwin. "Even wine here is shitty."

He marches away immediately after that, heading to the table with wine. Mike can barely stop his laughter, as he watches Levi take a glass of wine, drink a few large gulps of it, and then wince, his mouth moving as he probably murmurs violent curses. He doesn't take his eyes off Hange and her dance partner, and relaxes only when the song ends.

Both Mike and Erwin watch intently as the actor kisses Hange's hand once again. Hange blushes, and Mike almost coos. Levi grabs another glass of wine.

When the actor starts leading Hange away, in the direction of the balcony, Levi starts moving too. He intercepts them just at the edge of the ballroom.

Mike knows he should have expected something like that, knows that Levi doesn't exactly possess the best of manners, but pouring wine over someone? Over his own colleague and friend? Mike certainly didn't expect that.

He's delighted to see what happens next, though.

What happens is that Hange's gorgeous white suit is ruined and Levi wraps his hand around her wrist and drags her to the bathroom. He sports a unusually pleased expression and Hange is laughing herself silly.

Not a bad ending to this endeavor, Mike thinks.

"Another disaster," Erwin sighs.

***

Third time is a charm, or so Mike hopes.

This time Erwin decides to take matter in his hands, and that another sign that this plan will succeed.

The plan is simple, yet, hopefully, effective. Erwin is to whisk Hange away to some remote location, create a scene that would look like a moment between lovers, and Mike is to call Levi there and make sure he witnesses it all.

Erwin is a brave man, Mike thinks, as his Commander explains the plan to him. He would never dare to do something like that to humanity's strongest. To awaken his jealous streak... Mike is glad he's not in Erwin's place.

One sunny afternoon, the plan is set in motion. Erwin takes Hange, and Mike goes to find Levi.

He finds him fairly quickly, in the middle of cleaning Hange's room. Man, he could at least try to make his crush be less discreet. But that's beside the point now, because Levi is cleaning Hange's room and not watching Erwin and Hange. Mike confidently strides up to him.

"Levi! I've just been looking for you."

"What do you need?" he asks boringly. "And have you seen four-eyes? I can't find her all day."

Erwin prepared some legend, a reason why Mike needs Levi, but in the heat of the moment, Mike can't remember a single word. So he just yells "Come with me!" and hope that Levi follows.

Thankfully, he does.

Mike leads him to the stables, where Erwin is already at it. His palm is on the wall, next to Hange's head, and from Mike's point of view, it certainly looks like they're in the middle of... something naughty.

Next to him, Levi tenses, and Mike can practically hear his teeth grinding.

Mike prepares for something very ugly, but then...

"I- I didn't know that Erwin and four-eyes-" oh, fuck, it sounds like Levi is genuinely sad, like he's heartbroken or something. Mike feels a strange desire to hug the little guy and pat his head. But then he remembers that he and Erwin are the reason for Levi's distress right now, and... remorse starts kicking in.

"Levi, listen, it's not-"

"Levi!"

As always, Hange is the one to save the day.

She breaks free from Erwin and sprints to Levi, a wide smile on her face. "You won't believe what Erwin had just told me! He gave me permission to go in the town's library and bring back all the books I want! I'm in dire need of your muscles, humanity's strongest, you'll go with me, right?"

Levi still seems grouchy, but under Hange's sunny grin, his angry facade crumbles. "I don't know if Commander will allow it..."

He doesn't even try to hide his bitterness and irration. Mike disguises his chuckle as a coughing fit.

"Erwin!" Hange turns to him, eyes pleading. "Can Levi go with me?"

"Sure," Erwin nods. "Take all the time you need."

Hange yells in triumph, loud enough to make Mike wince. She grabs Levi by the hand and drags him away. Erwin watches them with a wistful smile.

"I don't think we should get involved in their relationships," Mike says, as he approaches Erwin. He stands close to his Commander, their shoulders pressing against each other. "We should let them figure it out themselves."

"Agreed," Erwin says. "I'm sure they'll manage well enough even without us."

Mike watches Hange wrap her arm around Levi, and is inclined to agree. They will certainly manage without them both.

Or, at least, Hange is able to manage.

And that should be enough.

[tteokdoroki]

So I don't know where the fuck this came from, but after being awake for like 28hrs and finding out covid made the DMV a worse experience than it already was my brain came up with this total crack scenario.

Imagine if you will:

You're dating Kiri. It's been a few months but he's never been to your place and insists he'd like to see it (if you'd let him, if not no biggie). He assumes maybe you're just a little messy or you're place isn't the nicest and for some reason you feel self conscious about it.

But finally you relent. The day would come eventually, and may as well show him.

He cocks his head to the side as you drive up to your place, confused. He had simply assumed you lived in an apartment or townhome. He was not expecting to be driving through what looked like a high end campground.

You pull up to one that looks more like a fancy garden shed than anything. It doesn't take more than 30 seconds for you to be reminded why you had waited so long to bring the nearly 7ft tall mountain of man that is Kirishima Eijiro to you're home and he accidentally knocks some stuff off the wall.

See you're overall decently neat, and keep your cute little place quite clean. Frankly it's easy. You only have 150sqft to worry about in you're perfect, quaint tiny home. Up till now it's been nearly perfect in every way.

But you didn't factor dating (and falling in love) with a man that could reach his arms out and touch both walls of you're house at the same time.

As you flick on the light all you can do is laugh a little as Kiri holds the stuff he knocked off the wall and accidentally bumps into the beam holding the loft up because he's so damn tall.

Kiri being kiri takes it in stride, telling you how nice you've decorated the place and how you ended up here. He is fully committed to trying to spend the night at your place like you've done at his and watching him try to cram himself into the tiny loft that hold your *full* sized bed, is laughable but he isn't detoured by the fact that his feet stick off the end of the bed by at least a foot. It's only when he sits up in the middle of the night, and smacks his head into the low ceiling that (only with you coaxing it out of him) maybe, staying overnight at your place is a logistical nightmare for him. He hates to admit it but also can't afford to be concussed everytime he sleeps over.

#I don't even know what this is #It's 4am #And my brain made me vomit this out #Welcome to my ted talk about why tiny home may be impractical despite what hgtv tells you #No one ever plans on dating a man that takes up the same amount of floorspace as a car #and yet #here you are #thak you got listening #also #i know asks don't have tags but my brain thinks this is the best format I guess #🦊

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR DAYS TO ANSWER THIS ONE BLEASE YOU MAY HAVE BEEN SLEEPY BUT GALAXY BRAIN WAS ALIVE WND WELL FOXY

alright so big beefy eijirou in your tiny liddol bungalow is so funny because you can tell he’s trying so so hard not to break anything. the walls shake every time he takes a step further into your home, making the few pictures you have up fall from their place. kirishima would be blushing as red as his hair, when he catches all of the knick knacks he knocks over and offers you one of his beautiful sheepish smiles :( he’s not usually this clumsy!!! just a big boy who takes up a lot of room and makes your floorboards creek!!

when you make him breakfast, even your little plates and cups feel small— eijirou’s hands are huge and it baffles your fucking mind that he practically swallows your poor China tea cups when you serve him some along with his hefty servings of bacon and eggs because kiri is a big man and he needs to eat. honestly don’t be surprised if he ends up shattering a few plates here and there from brute force of trying to cute his good up, he feels pretty awful honestly— swearing to replace anything that he breaks.

which he does and with the most expensive shit because being the pro hero red riot pays really well and eijirou kirishima’s s/o deserves only the greatest if he can afford it !!! i think kirishima would politely let you down and say that he’d much rather prefer to stay at his place because he genuinely had a headache from how many times he bumped into your lighting arrangements or how much he was avoiding shattering another picture frame from one of your first dates 🥺🥺

[lakesbian]

today is good because there are alec drawing. and alec posts and alec questions in my askbox. it took me a somewhat ridiculous amount of time and someone else pointing it out to me for me to realize that his cape name is a body-jacking joke. Regent, As In Person In Charge While The Rightful Ruler Is Incapacitated. you gotta hand it to him for that one being clever.

the alec bluntness is really something. i no longer agree with much of an older post i wrote abt that scene because it was incorrect with regards to amy's characterization but i think i was correct w my thought wrt alec, which is that he demonstrates a really clear prioritization for, like. not necessarily being honest in general (there are times he lies, and he's not exactly pressed about Integrity), but for bluntly facing up to the realities of things that are awkward, uncomfortable, or upsetting.

when taylor first joins the team, he very consistently frankly answers her questions when no one else will--for example, right after she stuns everyone into silence by suggesting they share power origin stories, alec is the first one to break that silence and frankly explain how triggers work to her. it's in part a clear effort to make her feel included and befriend her, but it's also very specifically about directly acknowledging what other people are sidestepping. in his interlude (which Boy Howdy was one of the things that was his fault, they call him little mr turns into his dad when he's having a bad day on account of how he does that), he says this to sophia:

“You and I are more alike than you’d suspect, I think,” he said. “We’re both arrogant assholes, yeah? Difference is, I admit it, I don’t dress it up and tell myself that I’m a bitch and that that’s a good thing.”

& in the amy arc you mentioned, while everyone else is speaking in awkward euphemism, alec cuts in with "oh, you mean you Mind Raped Her?" with more or less explicit intent to nettle amy.

i think the pattern boils down to a few things:

he's really got an overarching pattern going where more or less his entire life has been deeply, horrifically blood-soaked, where he's been abused to every possible extent, where part of that abuse was being forced to contribute to the same abuse of others, and he's just tired. he's tired and upset by people who can still rationalize or talk in circles or avoid directly looking at the violent and the uncomfortable

he does want to grow into someone other than who his father groomed him to be, and he's self-aware enough to understand that there are a lot of "basic" moral notions that he simply doesn't have a grasp of. deciding to be consistently blunt/honest about difficult topics is likely something that he sees as presumably a consistently respectable thing to do while being simple and straightforward to pull off

abuse is quite often accompanied by the abuser insisting that they're a better person than the victim/issuing deserved punishment for some flaw in the victim and alec 'survivor of every form of abuse ever' vasil's almost proud insistence on admitting that he's being a piece of shit when he's ruining someone's life scans as almost resentful and rejecting of the idea of that behavior

his relationship with aisha is also. it's sooooo very. it's So Very. i've written about them extensively in my tag #alec essays & you might enjoy those posts...it really all boils down to the world's loneliest boy meeting someone else who is also very lonely, and them seeing & understanding each other in a way no one else did, and that being so meaningful for him that he was willing to die for a shot in the dark at protecting the most wonderful person he's ever had in his life. lays down in my puddle of cry

putting microphone in your mouth do you have any overall Thoughts on alec vasil. on his arc any favorite moments any analysis etc

im still formulating my thoughts on the name regent and how the regent is the temporary ruler of a kingdom until whoever is supposed to rule can come into power. What do u think he meant by that.

BESIDES THAT when he immediately called out amy on what she did to victoria i think him being so blunt with what kind of violation happened is so interesting bc he very much is a character that doesnt seem to want to be Vocal in situations like that but him speaking up is like oh yeah. Oh god you are too familiar with that.

hes literally just a little guy and nothing is his fault

AND HIS SACRIFICE UGH everything with him and aisha warmed him up so much to me (beyond the initial “something is interestingly wrong w you boy” impression) like the trust from aisha to let him control her like WHAT!!!! WHAT!!! They make me SICKKK

[kit-kat-astrophe]

💫mutuals birthday appreciation💫

i tell myself that this is when i started my blog so let's pretend that this is also and anniversary thing

***if i actually know you then you're not gonna be here***

@wak4tosh1 your writing is chef's kiss, mwah, mwah. i love screaming about ashnikko to you over text and when you scream back!! reading the asks from your moots that you answer is certainly... entertaining, i'll call it. you have such chaotic energy but you seem to have it all figured out. um like wtf teach me. it is very admirable that you are the "mom friend" that has to regulate everyone's water intake. i do not like that milk doesn't count.

@everythingnerdyxoxo !!!! i consider you as one of my OG mutuals. you found me through reading a gruvia fic i wrote for their special week (no i did not complete the other days) and you said you were excited to read my other works! this is a huge compliment for me so i am very sorry that i have literally not written anything gruvia related since then. HOWEVER i am always glad to see when you've tagged me for anything, and i promise i will write something that doesnt make me want to bury it in the core of the earth eventually.

@rintaroll seeing as our first interaction couldn't have been longer than a month ago, we haven't talked much, but i would very much like to!! your writing is similar to a new song i've discovered in that i could spend all day appreciating it. the characters are so true to their original selves but they're not completely 2D either. and i appreciate your y/n being spicy, i'm tired of seeing uwu soft y/n everywhere so this is a welcome change!!

@tellescora we met through FT at first, and even though you don't post about it any more i still enjoy your content!! i'm just waiting for the genshin nintendo switch port so i can catch up already, because attempting to play it on my poor laptop gives me about two FPS. i am in love with your artwork, your hatching stands out to me a lot, and your colours pop but are never too distracting!! remember me when you get famous :']

@youreneighborhoodfandomfanatic you bring the variety to my dash. it's a mix of genshin memes, every iteration of the wellerman shanty there is on tiktok and i now declare you the news presenter that gives me political memes. i will bring you more headcanons like Ice Bridge Kaeya as soon as i can!! and also if i see somethinf that is even vaguely related to razor in any way i will not hesitate to submit it to you. he has a f r o g g i e h a t

@deadontheinsidebut angel!! whenever you call me your "day one" i feel so proud. my tiny fledgling is now a haikyuu writing master and i am but a tiny worm about to be eaten up by thou. i'm gonna let you in in a secret: sometimes i still go back to the shirabu matchup you made me!!! and i still get as excited as i was the first time i read it because it's still that good. seeing you grow so fast was so wonderful because it was so well deserved. now despite this i will continue to send you tsukki slander whenever it comes across my fyp. xoxo

@demiwizard7 weird thing is that we never talk, but i always know exactly when you're logged in because of the 20 notifs i get from you alone!!! i'm not complaining tho, it's like a silent nod of approval, which is very reassuring considering that i reblog whatever comes makes me laugh. i' glad to see that someone enjoys my trigger-happy reblog sprees, amd rest assured that i enjoy yours too!! i just don't always want you blow up your notifications-

@pokeprism14 we really need to talk more!!!!! i will take the time to explain juvia's character development thoughout the entire series if that is what it takes because i aint a quitter

@fairyreaper22345 you need to sleep on time at some point, ess. ignore when i am writing this. i can always rely on you to answer dms faster than, like, anyone. it's like you have them typed before i ever wrote anything. anyway: ess you are so pog. your fairy tail quotes never miss, your niceness is infectious and somehow you're more innocent than i am which doesn't check out at all. i adore asking you random things as 4am then complaining about the time that you're reading it. and you recommended pipeline punch which is now my favourite flavour so that's cool. we have the same slightly obscure interests (fountain pens, crime) which makes it all the more engaging to talk to you. ur just pog.

@anarchistasexual why are your political views so smart, i bet you know what happened to the stocks too. other than that youre very cool and so are all your friends. i thoroughly enjoy clowning around on the server and ignoring my homework. oh also you're just chill, and i like your vibe. you're one of those people who i'd hang out with just stare at my phone and show you memes

@pinkbtr you are also one of my oldest mutuals!! it's just hilarious to me that you figured out you like the guys with the daddy issues. you seem to have just accepted it joke and i live for it, frankly. i will use the new information that you like obey me very wisely and debate share my opinions with you. i appreciate you popping into my notifs every now and then.

happy birthday to me!

[the-winter-sings]

Tagged by @ebonykain.

Rules are: answer 10 questions and tag 10 people you'd like to get to know better (I don't know how the originator was counting because it doesn't seem to add up to 10 questions..)

Relationship status: single and incredibly conflicted about it.

Favorite color: green. Just about all shades of green. I love a really pale pastel green, a bright celery green, a dark olive green; I just love green.

Three favorite foods: mushroom, spinach, and cheese quesadillas with chipotle sauce; warm, crusty sourdough bread with salty butter, and maybe some honey (frankly, this is my most comforting food. If I'm really sick and not feeling like eating, I can still generally manage some sourdough bread and butter); sugar cookies with royal icing (this is due to my maternal grandfather, who would take me with him to the local bakery all the time, when I was very young, to get doughnuts or kringle for the whole family's breakfast. However, because he very much spoiled me, even that wasn't all. He would also buy me a sugar cookie, topped with royal icing to eat in the car on the way home. In both of our defense, this was a half-hour drive each way. But still, i can't help but feel very comforted whenever I have a sugar cookie with royal icing.)

Song stuck in my head: the Roar/Eye of the Tiger Mashup from the Broadway Cares 2020 Halloween party, I Put a Spell on You (just FYI, you can watch the entire thing on Broadway Cares YouTube page!1!!)

Last thing I listened to: Willow by Taylor Swift (so, true story, I have a slightly embarrassing, completely unironic love for Taylor Swift's music.)

Last thing I googled: the proper spelling of quesadilla 😳

Time: 21:08

Dream trip: I'd love to travel internationally period. I've never actually been outside of the US. My anxiety makes travel of any kind pretty difficult. In particular, I'd love to go to Japan someday. I'd also love to visit the Shakespeare and Co bookstore in Paris.

Anything I really want: more bookshelves (always), a weighted blanket, for the US to catch up on humanitarian treatment of people in general, for public libraries to be given the credit they deserve as major pillars of our communities, and for the anxiety screaming in my brain to maybe take things down at least a couple of levels 😅.

Tagging: @the-woman-who-read-everything, @book-a-bilia, @taygertot, @warrenkoles, @sunflowerletters, @whilereadingandwalking, @bibliophilicwitch, @bookmarksandbrushpens, @dropdeadfemme, and @veshta.

[ambivalent-anarchy]

It's Gonna Be Me (Part 1)

Gender: Female

Pairing: Peter Parker x reader

Warning: A bit angsty. Not too much though

This starts off as basic as possible, but I swear it gets better soon lol...

Hope you like it!!!

---------------------------------------

You might been hurt, babe, that ain't no lie

You've seen them all come and go

I remember you told me, that it made you believe in no man, no cry

Maybe that's why

~~~~~~~~~

Peter Parker knew a lot about hopelessly waiting.

Years ago, he'd hopelessly waited to not be the helpless, lanky nerd of the school anymore. That's when the spider came.

Months after the blip, he'd waited for any luck with MJ. That's when the Europe trip happened.

It seemed that every time he'd hopelessly wait for something, he'd always come to find out that maybe the situation wasn't so hopeless after all.

Which was why this particular situation bothered him. Because this one really was hopeless.

It'd always start the same.

"[Y/N]- hey, what's wrong?," Peter asked, furrowing his eyebrows, though he already knew the answer. At this point, the entire school knew the answer.

It had actually lasted longer than Peter had expected. But what mattered now is that his best friend was at his doorstep and in tears.

"Timothy was cheating on me, Pete. H-he doesn't love me... I'm so stupid."

"C'mon, come in." He ushered her to the livingroom. They sat on the couch. "It's not your fault, [Y/N]. Don't blame yourself for his crap."

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. He hated to see her cry.

"Why do I always pick the bad ones?," she wept softly.

Peter pulled her into a tight hug, giving his friend the best comfort that he could give. He softly told her a rendition of what he said each time something like this would happen.

"[Y/N], listen. You are beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to have someone as smart and as loyal and as funny as you -And Timothy? Screw him. He doesn't deserve you. What matters is that you have MJ, Ned- heck, even Aunt May..."

He let her go, looking away as a blush crept onto his face. "A-a-and me..." He looked back at her, with a boyish smirk on his face.

She smiled back softly. "Thanks Pete." At that, she went in for a hug. "You're the best friend a girl could ask for..."

They sat for a while. She cried on his shoulder. She ranted. He gave consoling words. She spent the night on his couch.

This wasn't the first time this had happened. In fact, her tears that night weren't even a drop in the bucket compared to others.

[Y/N] had always had bad luck with guys.

She'd had her heart broken more times than she could count.

And Peter was always right there by her side, waiting to console her. Every time.

Every. Damn. Time.

And frankly, he was sick of it.

"What's wrong, bud?," Ned asked the next day at school.

"Nothing," Peter mumbled, staring death glares into the lines on his desk.

"Let me guess..[Y/N] found out about Tim?"

Peter blew out a sigh. "Yeah."

"I feel bad for her," Ned said. "I mean, has she ever really had a relationship that's lasted longer than a month?"

Peter twisted his mouth in distress and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, I think maybe when she was with Hank... -yeah that one lasted a bit longer."

"What happened to that one anyway?"

Peter rolled his eyes, clenching his fists. "They were going good up until he stood her up for prom last year."

He thought back to what [Y/N] had cried that night.

'Why do I always pick the bad ones?'

He clenched his jaw. 'Yeah.. why do you?'

Ned's eyes went wide. "Wow. She's really got bad luck doesn't she?"

Peter went silent as he attempted to watch the smartboard in front of him and Ned immediately knew to be quiet. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus but it would still beat having this conversation.

Still, there was only one thought that was stuck in Peter's mind as he held his pencil so tight that he could feel it ready to snap.

'She wouldn't if she had me...'

-

"Okay guys, [Y/N]'s in the lunch line getting her food," MJ announced to the table that afternoon. "And we all know she just found out about Timothy so- you know, when she gets here..try not to be.. yourselves."

Ned nearly spat his food out. "What?!"

Peter swung his head around.

"Come on guys." MJ rolled her eyes. "You both- especially you Ned- you guys have a habit of making insensitive jokes and not realizing until it's too late."

She gave them the meanest death glare, but Peter wasn't having it. "Says you Miss. 'I Like It When People Are Sad'."

MJ scoffed. "Not my friends, weirdo."

"Shh! She's coming!," Ned whisper-shouted.

They watched as their friend [Y/N] walked up to the lunch table. But something was different from the last times.

She didn't look like she had been crying. She wore her regular clothes, not something that looked thrown together. Her mascara was perfect and not running at all. She looked like she hadn't been cheated on at all.

She looked good.

[Y/N] dropped her plate onto the table. "Okay, attention guys!"

"You feeling okay, [Y/N]?," Peter asked, concerned. "I know last night-"

"Last night is over, Pete," she said proudly. "And I am now here to announce that I am officially done with guys!" She stuck her chin up dramatically high.

Evidently, she had yelled that too loudly, because Flash, from another table, quickly yelled out," Yo, [Y/L/N]'s going lez!"

The majority of the lunchroom turned to her.

"What? No," she laughed back. "Not what I meant, Flash..."

He looked her up and down, biting his lip. "So does that mean...?"

"Okay shut up, dickhead," MJ yelled, standing up. "Back to your food, people. Nothing to see here!"

[Y/N] turned back towards the table and composed herself before speaking again. "Anyway, so yeah, I'm done with guys," she said with a big smile on her face.

MJ looked to [Y/N], Ned, Peter, and then back to [Y/N].

This was a problem. A big one. Because MJ knew that a simple fact. Peter liked [Y/N]. Anyone with a brain could figure that out.

"What do you mean?," Ned asked. "Does that mean Peter and I have to leave?"

[Y/N] laughed. "Haha! No, Ned. Of course not!" She lowered her chin a bit. "I'm just sick of getting hurt, ya know? There's only so much heartbreak a girl can take..." She sadly chuckled a little.

MJ furrowed her eyebrows. She looked to Peter, who held a lost expression on his face. "What do you think, Pete?"

Suddenly breaking out of his trance, he started to speak. "U-uh, um, maybe y-your going about this the wrong way, [Y-Y/N]?" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I-I mean..." He looked away. "There are lots of great guys out there who w-would.. kill to have you, [Y/N]."

Obviously, [Y/N] didn't pick up what the young superhero was attempting to put down. She rolled her eyes. "Well, my stuttery friend, until those 'great' guys make themselves known, I'm done."

Peter shrunk into himself, looking anywhere but [Y/N]'s face. "Y-yeah..I guess."

MJ scoffed. Was this really going over [Y/N]'s head? Her and Peter didn't work out but she could still admit, he was a great guy that deserved a chance. That's why they stayed friends afterward. "Isn't this a little extreme, [Y/N]?"

"Not extreme at all," [Y/N] clucked her tongue. "Just necessary."

Suddenly and frantically, Peter stood and practically ran to the trash can to throw away his food and leave.

"What's his deal?," [Y/N] asked, popping some gum into her mouth.

"Seriously?" MJ's face was incredulous. "Learn to read a room, man..."

~~~~~~~~~

Every little thing I do never seems enough for you

You don't wanna lose it again

But I'm not like them

--------------------------------------- This one was a bit of a set-up, sooo... hope you enjoyed!!!

Tell me if you would like to be tagged!

[pebblysand]

i know i haven't talked about books much this year. truth is: a) i haven't read much and b) what i had read didn't really deserve a mention. a bit like that thing people say where if you don't have anything positive to say about someone you shouldn't say anything at all, i feel very similar about books. i just feel like writing a piece to tell everyone about something i read that was a bit meh is both a waste of my time (spending more time than necessary on something mediocre) and yours (if i say something is 'meh' you're likely not going to read it so why bother really?). having said that, i think i've finally read my first five-star-omg-this-is-incredible book of the year, so i need to talk about it.

incendiary is chris cleave's first novel. it, to put it in simple terms - though nothing is simple in this book - is written from the pov of a woman who (iirc) is never named. at the start of the book, her husband and son are killed in a al qaida bombing of a football game in london. as the pitch indicates, it's quite an oldie (it was apparently written between the '04 madrid bombings and the '05 london tube ones) and the book is written in the format of one long letter to osama bin laden.

i remember picking up this book at a book swap event at my old workplace solely on the basis of the title. as someone who has had a whole chunk of my writing life dedicated to one-word titles, i felt like 'incendiary' was such a fantastic title to a story. it's such a specific, raw, imaginative title i couldn't not be intrigued by it. having now read it, it honestly has been my fave read of the year so far and i'm so glad i picked it up.

firstly, i need to talk about the story. if you, like me, are obsessed with ideas like: choice, bravery, light in darkness and powering through hard things, you will love this. this story is a tale of love, resilience, losing grip, giving up, doing the right thing, mental illness, loss, grief, and all the things in between. it's tough, it's raw, if it was fanfic it would probably come with a whole lot of trigger-warnings, but it's so incredibly beautiful. it's about fighting and survival - the tag line on my edition reads: 'a novel of unbearable devastation and unbounded love' and i think that's such a good description, i wouldn't add anything else. the main protagonist is so bizarre and unique -- so are, frankly, all the characters in this book -- but so very interesting. like a lot of english fiction, it also touches on the class divide in england so if you're interested in that, too, i would definitely recommend it.

secondly (and i suppose more particularly) as a writer, i loved the macro/micro divide in this book. most stories are about specific plot points and characters that evolve in wider world and how much time you spend on world-building v. plot is a very hard line to draw, which i believe cleave here does incredibly well. the observation of the main character's life unravelling and that of the world at large turning (post attack) into more and more of a police state is absolutely fascinating and her lack of curiosity about it makes it all the more intriguing. a lot of matter-of-fact things aren't explained because she's not interested in them and i loved that. i loved that not all the questions are answered, here.

lastly (and perhaps most importantly) i genuinely loved the language in this book. the character that chris cleave created to tell this story is captivating and special but one of the notable things about her is that she self-defines as an 'east-end girl' and is very working class. the language in the book reflects that. it's a lot of 'could of's and 'should of's and very little punctuation (she admits at one point she doesn't know where commas go). yet, this book is so raw and poetic in -specifically - its lack of fluff, descriptions or poetry. if you like authors that are matter-of-fact and to the point (think sally rooney but even more bare), who are mostly character based, you will love this. i think strangely, this book is even more of an achievement considering the lack of proper punctuation. it establishes emotion and sentence rhythm without any of the tricks authors may usually use to create those and i can only be awe of cleave's ability there. i highlighted so many parts in this story that it was hard to decide on a favourite quote but i think i will leave you with this one which is towards the end of the book and really shows you the style and power of the words here:

Love is not surrender Osama love is furious and brave and loud you can hear it in the noise my boy is making right now while he plays. [...] I wish you could hear him Osama that noise is the fiercest and the loudest sound on earth it will echo to the end of time and it is more deafening than bombs. Listen to that noise Osama it is time for you to stop blowing the world apart. Come to me Osama. Come to me and we will blow the world back together with incredible noise and fury.

i've added chris cleave's second book, the other hand, to my tbr and i cannot wait to read it. in the meantime, i highly recommend incendiary.

I’m 99 pages into incendiary by Chris cleave and I haven’t been this excited about a book all year so I guess what I’m saying is you should read incendiary by chris cleave.