#proportions are my enemy omg

[thenotsolittlelady]

Drawing Naye'fi cause she makes me happy <3

[shima-draws]

Saw your tags and omg HARD AGREE. Dragon Cry is SO bad nfkanmdsa

ME AND YOU SHAKING HANDS

Actually yes thanks for giving me the excuse to rant. Hold on. I'm typing furiously rn.

-Okay first of all they gave us the most ridiculously confusing plot I've ever seen. The twist with Sonya being Animus was kinda cool but they never really. Explained why she had a bond with him? She mentioned he used to be kindhearted at some point but we never see that literally ever at any point in the movie?

-The storyline is so all over the place it's a HOT mess. Especially the scene right after Natsu escapes the weird bird cage thing he runs off to find the others and suddenly they're all there? For some reason? Where did they come from. Why didn't they have a little reuniting scene. I literally rewound the movie to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a scene but nope they just made the most awkward cut/story progression in history I guess!!!

-The fanservice was so. SO bad. Like yeah the majority of the time I can at least tolerate it but this time it just made me extremely uncomfortable. Why are Erza and Lucy's boobs SO fucking large. Why did they have to make Lucy dance in like two strips of cloth. I thought I woke up in an alternate universe where Fairy Tail was a hentai. I genuinely wanted to vomit lmao

-The animation style really threw me off like I can tell it was either animated by a different studio or they wanted to try a different art style for the movie? But it just felt wrong and the proportions and faces were weird and. Yeah idk.

-What was up with the Three Stars?? Iirc we never got to learn their names or what their motivations were they were literally just. There. And they were built up to be these super powerful wizards only to get their asses kicked by FT like two scenes later. I get that being a movie obviously the fights had to be shortened but they literally did the same thing in Phoenix Priestess but WAY better. They really were like yeah uh we need some enemies for Team Natsu to fight let's just go with these guys and not give them any personality or backstory or motivations. (Except for the doll dad he was okay I guess)

-WHY WAS LEVY THERE. LITERALLY. ACTUALLY. She literally did nothing she served NO purpose in the movie she was just there?? Did they just want to shove in as many cameos as possible??? I know generally Levy isn't much of a fighter which is fine, I was kinda expecting them to do a Gajevy scene where Gajeel rescues her from some soldiers or smth which would have been fine but they didn't even do that. She literally just stood there and had like 2 voice lines. GO GIRL GIVE US NOTHING

-SPEAKING OF CAMEOS this is more personal beef than anything but man WHYYY wasn't Loke in the movie,, my boy my beloved my stupid idiot lion I'm so mad he wasn't even onscreen for like, 5 seconds

-I'm sorry but Juvia was so unhinged this movie her possessive/stalker behavior over Gray was actually super fucking creepy lmao

-What did they do to Happy. What the FUCK did they do to Happy

THEY MASSACRED MY BOY. LOOK AT HIM. HE'S GOT ANXIETY

-ALSO the scene where Happy and Lucy were crying over Natsu and we got tons of flashbacks from his POV of people who are important to him? WHY THE FUCK WASN'T HAPPY THERE?? They literally showed everyone from Fairy Tail precious to Natsu except Happy and I'm just sitting here like. HELLO?? You are SO wrong for that

-I will say I DID enjoy the little Nalu teasers we got especially the scene where Natsu showed Lucy the stars 🤧

But yeah I was here for this and this only:

The Nalu + Happy family bonding moments made it OKAY

Anyway sorry rant over. Dragon Cry bad. Natsu's brief moment of looking half dragon was a super sexy character design choice but the buildup is not worth it imo

[reiguns]

may we see the rito oc?

Omg yes!! So far I have a sketch where I got so frustrated trying to figure out the Rito anatomy that I ended up just tracing over the generic model and tried to make my pigeon boi lol. I’m not super happy with his look, I think I’m gonna fix his silhouette to be a little beefier, but I understand the proportions better now at least!

His name is Aseli, I made him for Linktober Quest’s 2021 prompts that I one day hope to finish drawing stuff for!! He’s based off a Mindanao bleeding heart dove, he’s a performer and a dramatic bitch lmao

I made a Zora OC too! His name is Mijen, he’s a prince of his domain, and he’s based off an orca whale. He’s also a character I wrote for LQ2021, and I liked him so much I put him in my LQ2022 story hehe. He’s protective of his people and kinda reckless, he gets hurt every time he shows up lol. Also, he’s a total mama’s boy

I wrote so much lore about my Hylian OC and Ganondorf for these Linktober Quest prompts lmao it’s so self-indulgent 🥴 My 2022 answers had them go from childhood friends to besties to lovers to enemies

Thank you for asking btw!! I’m shy about sharing my OCs 👉👈 Sorry I ended up info dumping about my Linktober Quest sketches 😅

[kidnap-the-series]

EP 5 - Realised (Part 2)

Q, my boy.... Put your curious soul aside for a while plssss. 

Stupid me was thinking he can't go in anyways and then I realised he had the damn keycard.

But also I see Q similar to his dad here. They don't try to run away from situations even if they know it's dangerous for them.

Baby, you look so out of place here. Get out of there rn. 

Sigh...

Honestly I loved both of their acting here. Like their faces show so much emotion I love it. The look of betrayal in Q's face and my interpretation of Min's expression is 'Don't misunderstand me! I can explain.'

Q!!! I told you to get out of there.

I saw a lot of people saying Q walks straight into danger. I agree but you all need to realise that trauma changes the way a person thinks. Q has adapted an almost reckless behaviour because he thinks no one would even care if anything happens to him. So, he doesn't really care that much for his life and safety. Thinking about this situation in a normal person's perspective will definetly differ from Q's perspective. It might seem stupid from our perspective but it is different when you see it from his point of view. It might seem like i'm defending Q but this is just my opinion.

Q is willing to go as far as making a deal with the enemy just to ensure that his dad is safe.

But we can't really trust Yada tho. There is no conformation that she wouldn't try to kill both Q and his dad just so that she wouldn't have any problems in the future as well.

Q!! Why would you mention Min?!?

👀.

Come on Q! You need to get out of here!

MinQ, I trust you both so so much in terms of communication. Pls don't disappoint me. 

Q could have easily walked away here. He didn't have to listen to Min's explanation. But he stands there and listens to Min. I think his heart wants to believe that Min is not the bad guy. 

I understand Min tho. He has taken so many risks just to ensure that Q is safe when he quite literally could have killed him. It must hurt to see the person you're willing to risk so much for to not even trust you. 

Like I already said before, Q just does not understand why someone would risk or sacrifice anything for him. He does not love himself enough to see himself worthy for sacrifice.

Min is hurt. Q is hurt. Now I'm hurt. 😢 

Ohhh he actually got hurt pretty bad.

Mhen is never wrong.

That's obviously not how you actually feel. 

I just have to screenshot this uk. Ohm's got insane proportions like how does he do it?? 

Mhen, c'mon let's fix your brother's relationship issues.

See I feel like Q is hoping that Min is as good as he seems. I think he has underlying feelings but hasn't yet confirmed it to himself like 'Yes! I actually like him'.

Facts! Min is the kind of person who would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for the person he loves.

I fucking knew this was gonna happen.

Hello???? Double agent!!! omg Suea I love this. 

I think Suea might have been in the mafia world before but maybe some situation that changed him and he's decided to work with the police. I'm saying this considering that Yada trusts him so much, meaning he must have been with her for a considerably long time.

[tbartss]

please tell me why u hate r*d white and r*yal blue bc it's in my to read list and i wanna know if it's worth it

bro where do i even begin. I will just paste my goodreads review because I feel like it truly encapsulated everything I felt about it when I finished it. Things I have added now are marked in italics.

"As someone who has read a lot of fanfiction, I get it. I totally get why this was so massively popular, because it’s written exactly like those massively popular, enemies to lovers, friends with benefits, 400k+ word fanfics at the top of the AO3 page, right down to one of them being racially ambiguous, the standard gay/bi pairing, and to the crack fanfic dialogue. Which is to say, I was not impressed. I get it though. The book is fun and heavy on the smut and “romance”, which is what the people want. But I’m going to be honest, I expected more. The writing style resembling the fanfiction writing style down to a T was charming at first, but ended up feeling juvenile, and at some points downright cringy and cheesy. I mean, really, no one talks like that. Especially not the First Family of the White House, by god. This works in fanfiction because no one is really taking crackfics seriously, it's just for laughs, but in this book it just came off as distateful and tone deaf (especially regarding the political aspects, omg don't even get me started on that) because, well, it's a published book that is printed and distributed into actual bookstores which people spend their money on... The characters were introduced in the standard fanfiction way (as in you’re just expected to know everything about them already), which, again, works for fanfiction but not so much in published books, and this left them unfortunately flat and shallow. They had no personality or chemistry for that matter, and there was barely any character growth, the story choosing to focus more on the drama, which also was not really that compelling. It was obvious from the get-go that the background drama was merely a plot device (one not necessarily well done) to further the romance, which again is charming in fanfiction (because hey in fanfiction we truly are there for the romance) but I expect more from published books. Not to mention the whole politics deal, oh god, I won’t even touch on that because I’m sure you don’t have to be a genius to know that that is not how politics work… The Big Conflict was… not impressive. The whole thing seemed to hinge on the fact that Henry couldn’t produce heirs with Alex (which yea would make sense) except Henry isn’t the first born and therefore not the direct heir to the throne. Which makes it not any of his problem lol. Furthermore the whole conversation with the Queen seemed so trivial and shallow that I couldn’t take it seriously. It was like the author didn't know what to do as a conflict either and just pulled something out of her ass. It feels like the conflict was blown WAY out of proportion, even though there was potential for important themes to be explored like the bigotry of the royal family and also the First Family for that matter and the implications of a cross-country gay relationship (which is another thing, I know I said I wouldn't touch upon it, but the way the author portrayed American politics or politics in general made it so clear to me that she doesn't actually know what she's talking about and she's just coming off as naive. I wish she had chosen literally any other setting than the one she chose.)

If I wanted a shitty fanfiction I would have just opened my browser and typed in AO3 where I can find this exact storyline and these exact characters for free. P.s. I’m half-convinced the author had just watched Hamilton the Musical before and/or during writing this book."

[shirophantomvox]

Hold My Hand- Illumi x Reader

OMG thank you! My first international fan! Thank you for this wonderful prompt! This was requested by @illucilfer .

Summary: Today’s story takes place in a 1950s diner by a frequently used Interstate; Interstate 95. We know this dinner for its delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, milkshakes, and jukebox records, but every night one Patreon never returns home. A few men who were angry about your recent arrest have shot you both. As you both stare at each other exchanging mental signals, everyone around you tries to help you to the hospital. Y/N is narrating the story. I seem to have fewer grammar errors that way. FYI, Bold and italicized font will reference a thought or flashback.

Story Navigation

Let’s get started!

The leaves have turned bright yellow and orange, fluttering every second to the ground. I could hear little children a while away laughing and playing in the community park; throwing up the leaves, jumping into piles, and throwing them at each other. The smell of freshly baked donuts brightened everyone’s mood. All you had to do was take one bite and your face would brighten and crack a smile. Dining at Cupid’s Kitchen will always have your heart and interest.

Interstate 95 was always heavy with traffic during this time of year. The folks of Dallas celebrated mulch annually. The “Mulch Fest” was a street fair that stretched 1.5 miles to the east that contained music, drinks, farmer panels, homemaker Q&A, and other activities that southerners enjoy. Illumi and I are only here because of an unfinished assignment. We have worked night and day for countless days trying to catch Jack “Da Hamor” Gilberton, but he was nowhere to be found. Eventually, I allowed my anger to get the best of me and made the executive decision to take a day off. I barred Illumi from searching, tracking, or any form of hunting for our target. The life of a bounty hunter and an assassin can thrill, but it can drive you insane if you allow it.

Ironically, Illumi and I both enjoy fall. It is perfect for cuddling (although he acts as if he’s too good to cuddle), wearing creative hoodies, going to pumpkin patches, and attending apple orchids. I tend to “lose my cool” when we have dates there. When I was a child, my family did not go on trips like these because they were over an hour away from our home and I had 5 siblings. But once I made money for myself, I made it my mission to go to one at least 5 times out of the year. Illumi enjoys the different fudge, hot cider, and candy apples. He almost broke a tooth on one!

“Say cheese snag-a’-tooth!”

“Stop it. It’s not funny!”

“It is! Could you imagine if you lost your two front teeth? You’d look almost adorable as you did in the 1st grade!”

“How did you know about that?”

“Duh! It happens to everyone, but your mother showed me the pictures, of course.”

“Curses!”

Illumi’s sweet tooth is just like Killua’s; both have a weakness for chocolate. Except, Killua will admit defeat while his older brother keeps denying it.

Cupid’s Dinner has been in Dallas for over 55 years. A black woman established it in 1945 by the name of Mary-Lou Benson. Since then, Mary’s family has been running the shop, making sure all of her customers are happy with the service. During the turn of each season, Cupid’s Dinner gives its customer's food options based on the season. The fall options include donuts, candy apples, different flavored cider, fudge, and hot coffee specials. As much as everything looked appetizing, I could not order it all. Our server, Little Ben, placed our drinks in front of us and handed us the menu. I could tell he was happy with his line of work, just as I was to be with Illumi.

“You all take your time. I’ll be back in five.”

Ilumi glanced on both sides of the room, scanning for Jack Gilberton, already forgetting the agreement we established.

“Illumi, what are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“You keep looking around like you’ve seen Da Hamor. Eat your donut and relax, sweetheart.”

“I cannot relax. I must stay on alert.”

“If I can relax, so can you. It’s not that hard.”

“Fine. If I die, it’s on your head… literally.”

The jingling bell rang almost every second when a customer walked in. It was a joy to everyone's ears; the spirit of Mary Lou-Benson was alive and well. An overwhelming feeling of love seemed to have overtaken the diner. After examining the bistro for quite some time now, each customer had been using their cellphones at the table instead of chatting with their families. Many traditional families hated that about this generation but they should be open to new traditions forming. Illumi dislikes using cell phones or tablets at the table unless we use them for missions. He has emphasized how rude it is to be surfing the web about utter nonsense while someone is speaking. This is a pet peeve of his, something I’ll never step on his toe about. Although I think that is overdoing it, I respect it.

Little Ben served our table quickly, leaving us with two dishes of a classic chicken sandwich, kettle chips, one chocolate, and vanilla milkshake. Milkshakes were my weakness; I nearly foam at the mouth when I see one. When I found out that Illumi had NEVER had a milkshake, I almost fainted.

“No. I’ve never had a milkshake.”

“Huh? You’re missing out, pal.”

“What’s the big deal? Isn’t it frozen milk?”

“Not just frozen milk. You can add many flavors, toppings, and whip cream!”

“Well, then. You’ll have to show me sometime.”

We thanked Little Ben for his service as he clocked out for the day.

“I have to admit these sandwiches look very appetizing.”

“You can say that again!”

Before I nibbled on my sandwich, I wanted to take a moment and adore the man before me; Illumi Zoldyck. A man full of mysteries, professionalism, skill, and talent. His enormous eyes were immersed in the large pieces of chicken in between the sourdough bread. He licked his index finger vigorously; allowing the homemade honey mustard to drip enough from the bread to the plate in between licks. Just the sight of him actually relaxing for once has blown me away. For once, Illumi Zoldyck could be himself and I had the privilege to witness it.

“Um… why are you staring at me? Do I have food on my face,” he asked; violently wiping his mouth off with a provided cloth napkin.

“Oh! Ha, ha; no reason. I wanted to see your reaction after drinking your milkshake. That’s all.”

“Why? It’s just a drink.”

“Whatever you say, babe.”

“Babe? What happened to LuLu or Illumi-Lu?”

I gasped and pretended to be surprised… although I was a little.

“I did not know that you liked those pet names. I assumed it mortified you.”

“Who told you that? That never rolled off my tongue. “What I said was” — He bent closer to the table and to me; glancing both to the right and left to ensure no wandering ears were around — “I prefer Illumi-Lu to be said in the bedroom and LuLu when we’re alone, like how we are right now.”

“Aww…. ok,” I yelled in excitement.

“Don’t blow it out of proportion, alright?”

“Yes, sir.”

As we ate, Illumi hummed along to the tune that played a few times on the restaurant's jukebox. Illumi and I were born in the mid-90s, but listening to 50s music was a part of his aesthetic. I was told that he had an “old soul” which sounds romantic at first until you realize how men were during that era. His raging temper was a noticeable toxic trait, but it has drastically improved. Nonchalantly sipping on his milkshake and then eating more of his chips, he grazed the soft part of his left hand over mine as he continued to hum.

“What’s the name of this song? You seem to know it rather well.”

“Put your head on my shoulder, a famous song from the 60s. I heard my parents sing it once and since then, they have addicted me to it. Do you like it?”

“Yes, in fact, I love it. All of this is—”

“A surprise to you? Well, enjoy it while it lasts because once I find Jack Gilberton, this side of me will hide for a while.”

“Understood.”

Damn! I was just feeling connected to him again!

The music swelled; everyone seemed to be happy. Not an evil spirit insight to disrupt this beautiful moment. For once in my life, my raven-haired beauty actually held my hand tight, stole a few of my barbecue kettle chips, and gazed into my eyes harmlessly. His lips brushed against both of my hands, ever so lightly placing kisses on both sides of them. Illumi’s gentle smile warmed my heart as my lingering thoughts of hope stayed intact.

The welcoming bell jingled again. Two men in black leather jackets, stone-washed blue jeans, and tattooed all over their arms came into the diner. The men seemed to be bikers who had just left their own “spot” but one thing struck me as they continued to walk towards the staff. They both wore sunglasses when the sunset for the day. Not to mention that the lights were not dim in the diner and the moon was as bright as ever. The second man had his eyes glued in my direction. My heart beat faster as I wondered if Jack Gilberton had found us. Could you imagine?

Put your head on my shoulder

Hold me in your arms, baby

Squeeze me oh-so-tight

Show me you love me too

I am used to coming in contact with enemies on my hit list, but given Jack’s criminal history; I felt like I may not survive his attacks. Illumi will survive, but just barely. Both men approached the checkout, crowing over Little Ben’s sister. She was a short woman but full of might, and I could tell by the shakiness in her voice she was frightened. I wanted to step in so badly, but I didn't want to blow my cover just in case it was, in fact, Jack Gilberton. After I assume, ordering food, both men stood by the entrance, blocking it from others from entering and leaving. The sound of their old, beat up-lighters crackled as one lit a joint and the other lit a cigarette. This horrid smell ruined the atmosphere because they were not in a designated area and it drowned out the lovely aroma of the food being served.

“If you gentlemen would like to smoke, you need to go outside. There is no smoking in here.”

“What? You think you’re better than me because you don’t smoke?”

“Huh? I never said that, sir. I asked for you to go outside. Not all of our customers can deal with it.”

They did not move a muscle. The sound of their mucous laughter made everyone’s stomach turn. They laughed at the young girl and called her many slurs. Little Ben’s sister didn’t flinch, nor did she cry; she remained still, staring at the men. I had just enough of their obnoxious behavior.

“If you do not leave, I will call the police.”

“The hell you won’t.”

Put your lips next to mine, dear

Won't you kiss me once, baby?

He drew a gun from his left side. He aimed it at Little Ben’s sister and demanded that she emptied the drawer. She refused. Her stone, iron will reminded me of Illumi; no matter the circumstance, they remained intact, determined to fight until the end. Bravery is always encouraged, but too much will cause your life to be taken away. Little Ben’s sister grabbed a fake till that they kept under the real one and threw it at both men. Fake money fluttered everywhere in the small diner, mimicking confetti. Gunshots rang in all directions as the imbeciles recklessly shot, aiming for Little Ben’s sister. Everyone threw themselves on the ground to avoid being shot, but luck cannot spread itself throughout an entire room of people. A young child, an older man, and another worker were shot in their lower leg. Blood reflected from the ground as it continued to seep. Ignoring injured civilians is a jackass move and continuing to deny the fact would prove that the oath I pledge to meant nothing. Sure, bounty hunters must remain hidden, but if someone is injured, I must help them.

The child was lying lifeless on the polished marble floor. He would not respond to my shaking or my silent whispers. When I rolled him over, my heart broke into a million pieces. This child had no chance of survival; a few bullets struck his chest, one just inches away from his heart. A tear rolled down my cheek.

“Why must the good die young,” I whispered to myself.

“... Because snitches get stitches.”

Before I could gain sight of who stated this utterly corny response, I felt an overwhelming amount of pain in my lower back. It felt like a million tiny needles were jabbed so far through my skin that they entered my intestine. I could still hear, but my body would not move. I tried and tried, but my brain would not signal my legs.

Move! Move, damn it!

It’s odd; I could hear myself talk, but my body would not move at all. The sound of another thudding body made my mind jump. My heart had already been pounding enough to try to resuscitate my organs to move, but a familiar semi-blurring sight of none other than Mr. Illumi Zoldyck cleared my sight. My brain went wild. I didn’t know if Illumi died or if he became paralyzed, but one thing is for sure. We finally made eye contact that felt special; something I hadn’t felt since the day I met him. Our contact felt like magnets; an unbreakable bond. Suddenly, my icy hand felt warmth around my palm and fingers. Illumi simultaneously fell in a way that connected our hands. Our unbreakable bond, the warmth of his fingers laying on top of mine, and the gaze we shared somehow made me feel like it was just the two of us alone. I could hear his thoughts loud and clear; thoughts that came from the heart.

“Please help me. Before it’s too late, LuLu,” I cried, thinking I was going insane. “I don’t want to leave if it means leaving you behind.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”

“Please! I want to live a life. Life as a bounty hunter, build a support system to our children, and a good lover is all I want to be.”

“You are a warrior and so am I. We have been through worse. This is nothing.”

Mere eye contact is all we need to exchange wandering conversations. The bond that we’ve created is something so strong that I haven’t realized it until now. The warmth emitted from his loose grasp seems to lose its effectiveness. It blurred my vision beyond recognition, leaving Illumi as a near figment of my imagination.

“Oh no. I guess this is it.”

My vision darkened. Illumi was slipping away as my lingering thoughts almost made my heart give out from exhaustion. I was ready to accept my fate, but it seemed like fate had other plans. My vision was still darkening by the second, but my sense of touch remained there. Smooth fingers outline my arms, torso, and chest. I heard muffled voices yelling and screaming about calling for assistance, but I didn’t care if they came or not. I made peace with my life’s end. Bit by bit, my breathing slowed down, but my sense of touch remained heightened. I felt a rubber glove touch my face and neck, examining it for any damage.

The jukebox continued to play Illumi’s favorite song, Put Your Head on my Shoulder. I remembered the day I laid my head on his shoulder; boy, what an endearing moment that was. It was something I took for granted, something I should have savored, for I never knew that this moment would have happened. The song grew muffled by the second verse. That verse repeated every time I tried to force myself to take what felt like my last gaze at my raven-haired beauty.

Just a kiss goodnight, maybe

You and I will fall in love (you and I will fall in love)

-FIN.

A/N: Since you’ve made it to the end, I’ll say something. The reader did not die in the end. They were later revived at the hospital.

[surprisebitch]

my experience playing Arknights for one week

i said i wouldnt pick up another gacha... but i really had to find out i could re-roll for SilverAsh.. and fast forward, it has come to the point i really want to play this game a lot and love it that i have to talk about why it’s so good

GACHA ASPECTS

first, the gacha is generous. you will always get a 5-star from every banner within your first ten rolls. you can also buy a standard 5-star and/or 6-star operator from the shop with in-game currency you either have to farm or save for with yellow certificates. these come when you roll a new operator from the gacha or from a weekly game mode called Annihilation. they dont come easily though but you can save for them

you get to recruit new operators for free too, you just gotta wait every 7 hours and 40 minutes if you want a 3 to 5 star. then if you get a special tag, set it to 9 hours so you can get a guaranteed 4 or 5 star

Annihilation is a mode you can do to get originium, LMD, and battle records depending on how many enemies you kill in a single run. so the game incentivises you to power up your operators so you can roll more since.

the reason why you would probably whale or be made to roll and save is getting copies of the 6-star because the more copies you get, the more they’d be cheaper to deploy. that is not a necessity though. another is sanity/stamina. people buy gacha currency to either play more, farm more, or speed up factory production

every operator is viable including the lower rarity ones. so dont feel that you wasted on one leveling them because they would all be investments especially. dupes can also make them cheaper to deploy so the more copies you get for them, the more they would most likely be in your squad for a while. once you get more than 6 too, they become currency which you can use. also cheap to raise with early to mid-game investment. they also learn a trait which can be a great asset for your RIIC or base! for example a maxed out 2-star can have the best type of base buff

the husbandos albeit few are eye candy. i hope as time goes we get more new sexy male operators. but honestly, the advantage is it will be easier to save for their banners. there’s also no male tax because they arent underwhelming and are really great units. in fact the S+ tier unit to this date (in NA at least) is SilverAsh and he is a catboy husbando who you can re-roll for free. you wouldnt get to experience his full glory though until you’re far enough which is level-gated by a well-leveled arsenal of operators

SO MANY REWARDS and give-aways!!! like this game is so generous. it has a cumulative login, consecutive login, monthly login, weekly login, campaign login, and event login omg. you also get rewards from missions and leveling servants. so many incentives are given to power-up your servants. its so newbie and f2p friendly

GAMEPLAY

when you have to farm experience or materials, there’s the auto-deployment function. so if you perfectly cleared it (3/3 rating) without using a support, you can just start the node with the function and leave it on the background. this may not guarantee 100% success though as sometimes your operators could die from a stray crit but luckily you can take over if an error risk is detected. so you dont have to go through the tedious process of doing it all over again. you can also overwrite that error

the difficulty spike happens not too far into the story that you will be forced to level up your servants and try out different strategies going out your comfort zone. this includes improving your base, leveling specialists, etc. you’d also be encouraged or forced to think outside the box because some maps can make certain specialists shine, so dont underestimate your crowd-control and shift operators as they can make the defense easier.

the game is so flexible. there isnt a fixed strategy, it’s well-balanced where every team could flourish. it really depends either how properly leveled they are and your gameplay.

you cant get carried by an S-tier support and you are forced to be independent. for one, their max level is scaled to your highest level operator. a friend support can only go so far but it’s your whole squad that matters so make sure they’re all properly leveled and youre proactive in activating their skills, withdrawing one, replacing, managing timing, etc. also, clearing without a friend support is what will allow you to auto-farm the node

you can practice any fight! so if the node seems to be difficult, you get 30 free practices per day, so you can assess or simulate if your operators are ready for the challenge. and if by chance you fuck up your official run when you start it officially the first time, you can leave and the game refunds all the sanity/energy you used! it will only start deducting sanity the more you try so use your practice drills wisely

besides the tower defense main gameplay, there are many things you can do to diversify your experience from setting up your base, designing your dormitory in your base with furnitures, etc. managing your operators and maintaining efficiency and workflow. a great base is what will help you generate income and experience to level up your operaots

many materials but nothing too overwhelming. the game gives you a good idea and guides you on where to farm them or how to get them. you can just click the material and it will tell you where to get those if you have completed the map. it will also tell you what node to complete if you havent. so you will never get lost

ART and SOUND

the ART! it’s so pretty omg from the backgrounds to the operator designs. also despite being predominantly filled with waifu operators, their designs are not fanservice. there’s like hardly any tiddy window. their body proportions are realistic. they’re all dressed up practically for battle

the soundtrack is sooooo good! i really love the vibe even the home page. it’s relaxing to hear you can leave it on the background. the battle music is also really nice

STORY

it is really engaging!! it is rather a slow burn and everything seems to set up to a battle every time but it does not feel too repetitive as we learn new things and the game is able to make these encounters realistic and connected to the story. the events are fun and make you learn more operators who are featured too. it’s very thought-out

TL;DR:

there are so many aspects about Arknights that makes it a cleverly designed Tower Defense Game: generous rewards/gacha, interactive gameplay, well balanced operators, farming convenience, aesthetically pleasing art, etc. If you are looking for a game that will get your mind working, Arknights is so worth it. Give it a try cause I wish i joined sooner, but hey, it’s never too late!

(cred: artist)

[growingingreenwood]

I think Tumblr ate my last ask, but which characters in the Tolkien legendarium do you either like/love or dislike/hate and why? And is there anything that you either like or dislike about any of the characters. I think it’s something that you haven’t touched on, and would be really interesting to discuss.

It might have, but honestly girl my asks are so messed up right now that it could be literally anywhere. They seem to randomly switch order sometimes?? Like they all play musical chairs everytime I use my spotify app. 

You’re right, I don’t think I’ve ever really discussed any of that beyond my love for the Silvan elves and the dislike for other elves unless it's framed from their perspective and not really my own opinions. I’ve thought about posting some stuff before, but then usually decide to ‘stay in my own lane’ or forest, as the case me be. But here we go!  

Characters I love that I don’t really ever mention (there are honestly a lot so i will try to stick to my top 3 or 4): 

Maedhors. 

I just have such a deep sympathy for him because (other than the kinslayings) he consistently tries to fix things, make things better, make things work. Like he wasn’t back from his 50 odd years of imprisonment and tortue before he rolled up to Thingols door to discuss how they were going to break up the Beleriend to accommodate all of the Noldor??? He gave his fathers crown away to his cousin to better unite the people?? I understand the repercussions and implications that come with Kinslaying, but even those actions I see as actions to try and help. Help his brothers, because if they don’t get the jewels back then they all get sent to the void. None of them come back from the halls. He is the oldest out of the seven brothers and just must feel such a crushing weight on him to do better and be better….. And it just …. Never really works out for him. In fact, most times it backfires horrible. 

Maglor: 

Pretty similar reasons to his brother tbh but also additionally I have such a soft spot for him with little Erond and Elros. The decisions the sons of Feanor made when the took the oath was rash and admittedly a bit… extreme.. But some of them really do seem to make attempts of righting their wrongs outside of their business with the oath. And honestly, I have huge respect for anybody who can know that people's opinions of them will never change but still try their best anyways.  

Eomer: 

I LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH OKAY omg. He’s just. He’s just SO extra, but also so soft and caring and the relationship between him and Eowyn melts my heart. That scene when he finds her in the Return of the King will always put me into cardiac arrest for at least one entire minute. He is SO loyal to his uncle and his country, and he is a really brave and honest man. Plus, that moment in the books when both he and Araogrn casually lean on their swords LITERALLY in the middle of a battle (I wanna say helms deep??) and have a pleasant little chit chat amongst each other. Like how can you NOT love this man??? Impossible.  

While on the topic of underappreciated siblings, can we talk about FARAMIR 

Faramir: 

Ugh my beautiful little idiot. Homeboy speaks Sindarin but yet could not translate Cirith Ungol (which is Sindarian) to warn Sam and Frodo what might be in the tunnels Gollum wants to take them through. When Cirith Ungol literally means “Path of the Spider.” LIKE??? Eowyn confesses her love for him, and THIS MANS just fucking nods along, sitll holding her hand and goes: “Yeah, honestlly, who wouldnt be in love with Aragorn?” A masterpiece. Anyways, he’s also just like an all around good person who just has some pretty aggressive daddy issues. But his rangers LOVE him, and its obvious his people do too. I just wish he could have had more sympathy over the loss of his brother (aka best frined) 

50/50 person

Denethor: 

Alright, I will be the first to admit that the movie Denethor deserves what he got, I hate that bitch. But I will also admit that this man was done wrong in the films, and was aggressively villainized him far past what he actually was. Was he the best person in the world? No. The best father? No. But did he do his best with what he could when suddenly an enemy long thought dead as FUUUCCKKK suddenly appears right behind you? Yes. He absolutely did. I don really think that he gets enough credit for keeping Gondor running and functioning as it slipped further and fathern into darkness. They ended up living in a similar situation as Thranduil did, maybe for not as long but still. So like, if it weren’t for the movie I don’t really think I would have a strong opinion about him in any manner, so there you go. 

People I hate, and why: 

Eol: He’s just …. Creepy as fuck. He’s weird and possessive and controlling and BLAH. Who decided to kill their own son just because they themselves are insisting to do something that is forbidden? Eol. What did he do instead? Kill his wife. Good fucking job. 

Maeglin: Eol’s son. Also cringy and creepy. His uncle took him in even after his father murdered his mother right in front of them both, treated him like a son and did everything he could for him. But that wasn’t enough for Maeglin, and he couldn't take “uhm, not thank you. You are my cousin and being around you makes me uncomfortable” as an answer, and so betrays his city and gets everybody killed instead. Cool. Sick move. 

Okay, so I don’t hate the character but the story overall annoys me. Beren & Luthien: 

Like, I get it. Its dramatic and romantic and heroic and all of that. I’m not arguing. I also think that Luthien is basically the coolest woman to ever exist in any world at any point. But how their love story is presented overall? Eh. There are cool scenes and stuff that happens BECAUSE OF the love story, like Finrod biting a werewolf to death, Luthien talking to Carcharoth like he’s a grumpy little puppy, her defeating Morgoth and also somehow convincing Mandos to let Beren out??? All scenes are sick as fuck. But I just, still don't really understand where such deep and dramatic emotions of love for one another come from to DO all of those things. Ya know??? Idk. It’s still cute and sweet don’t get me wrong, its just really really annoys me that its framed as this “end all be all” idea of what perfect love looks like. I think what I am trying to say is that the story of Beren and Luthien seems to be blown out of proportion to me, and the bigger it grows the more it irks me. 

[hassanfield]

hello! so here's a submission bc i couldn't fit this into asks LOL anyway revision tips, here we go! i know it's super subjective so these are some strategies that have worked for me, but find what's best for you! all the best xx

- determine what type of learner you are! this really helps in finding good methods to learn the content, so for example i'm a tactile learner so i memorise best when i write and rewrite my notes, if you're visual i'd probably recommend mindmaps, and audio perhaps speaking your notes out loud & so on

- this is gonna sound cliche but create a conducive study environment! it actually helps so much, there's plenty of playlists on spotify and youtube you can use to listen to music, and i'd recommend setting timers for yourself so do a chunk then take a break (infused to do 40min then 5min break but now i do a 1h-10min but do what yiu enjoy! just make sure it's proportional). i use forest which has been a lifesaver esp when it comes to getting my phone away from me so i'd recommend that, however it's a paid app

- this is more a method that works for me but i like to read my content from a few different sources, so over a few days i go through the textbook (& underline stuff, i find that highlighting turns mindless after a bit, but underlining doesn't), the notes my teachers give (i'm blessed) and my own notes. i tend to make a summary page of all the content while studying, as i find when i'm writing stuff down i can memorise it easier. afterwards i just study summarised content from this page

- ok this is also cliche but use flashcards! especially if you're learning a language as these work particularly well for vocabulary and chemistry formulas. quizlet is one that i quite like because it's on an app and i can study on the go and it also has listening and writing functions so there's a variety of methods to test yourself

- lastly the night before my exam i like to get someone to test me on all my content (this takes hours and you need a dedicated person which is definitely hard to find) as this acts like a culmination of all my studying and my last home stretch

- finally please actually get sleep, i cannot stress how impt this is! try to sleep as much as you can (it can be difficult to sleep i get it and you may be tempted to study more but try not to) if you're not done with studying, i'd suggest go to bed and wake up early instead. it's still better than staying up late. and believe in yourself and don't be too hard on yourself! it's something that i have and still am struggling with but if you have the right mentality it helps so much (channel your inner klopp!!)

and here's some subject-specific study tips i can think of 🤪

- languages: make grammar summary notes and really try to get all the info in. use flashcards for vocab and try to find someone who speaks rhe native language to help you w anything (for eg people on tumblr!)

- history: read it like a story, once it becomes a story it's a lot more fun and easier to remember (history is my fave though so i'm prob biased lmao)

- sciences: this is so sad :( yiu really do have to memorise everything but constant revision throughout the year helps

- geography: this subject is my mortal enemy and honestly it's a lot of logic so just learn the content and be able to speak about it in your own words (not sure how it's like where you are but in singapore if we memorise & regurgitate high marks are attainable)

- literature: ooh this is hard bc u can't really study for it, i like making chatacter charts based on their qualities and book/chapter summaries, list down key events & organise quotes that way

omg i realised this is incredibly long and wordy so sorry but hope i can help!! you can do this!! :)

[snarkandsarcasmftw]

Hi I'm new to your tumblr I've read all your fake dating/slow burn/ enemies to lovers thing and was wondering if I can shoot 3 names out there Chad Gable Drew Gulak Pete Dunne

First of all, thank you so so so much for reading them. I hope you enjoyed them, they were fun for me to do. Second, omg, yes please? Bring it on. I���ve answered them below. I really hope you like what I came up with.

Tagging: @rampagewriting @heelsamizayn @andie01 @missjenniferb @kittysilver86 @vonschweetz @xwicker-manx @calwitch @writtingrose @wwe-fanfiction-queen @rollinsreginssupreme 

more fanfiction trope fmk | faq | add yourself to my tag list - if it won’t let you, dm me and I’ll be happy to add you.

Fake Dating:

Chad Gable;

Baron caught Chad Gable staring at her again like she was on fire and he had the hose and Baron doubled over in laughter. “You’ve gotta be shitting me. Her? You really think you have any sort of a shot with her? She’s way out of your league. Besides, I already asked her on a date. She said she’d think about it. Bet that burns you right up, huh? Gonna go pout now, Shorty? Go on.”

“Fuck off, Corbin. I’m not in the mood today.” Chad glared up at Baron. At hearing that Baron had naturally asked Ana on a date, his stomach sank a little. There went that. Women had a hard time resisting Baron, he’d seen that for a fact. Baron also didn’t let anyone in back forget it, either. Chad’s gaze settled on Ana for a second or two and he turned his attention back to Baron, repeating himself. “Go on, Corbin. I said fuck off. Do I have to suplex you? Because we both know I can.”

“What’d you say to me, short stuff?” Baron squared up, flexing and ready for a fight. Chad rolled his eyes and stepped up, body to body with Baron, putting his chest into shoving at Baron, smirking a little when Baron growled. “I said, fuck off.”

“Now why the hell would I wanna do that? This is fun for me.”

“Because if you don’t, I’m gonna…” a throat cleared from behind them and Baron’s smirk grew. “You’re gonna what?” Baron asked calmly, this look on his face as if he’d done nothing to start anything. “Ana, hey.. You come over to tell me you’re gonna let me take ya on that date, darlin?”

Ana’s laugh had Chad resisting the urge to laugh himself and also had him raising a brow. Ana stepped in between the two men, looking from Baron to Chad as she bit her lip. “Baron?”

“Yeah, princess?”

“What was the name of the place you wanted to take me?” Ana asked, her eyes settling intently on Chad’s mouth. She was just so fucking sick of Baron messing with the guy. Chad didn’t deserve it. Chad was more of a man in his pinkie finger than Baron was in his entire body. It wasn’t Baron Ana wanted, it was honestly Chad. So Ana was about to do something to fix the whole situation and to show Baron once and for all that not every woman liked overgrown fuckboys with the mannerisims and the mentality of a 12 year old.

“Some barbecue place near the hotel. Why? Does this mean you’re finally gonna give in and admit you want me? I fuckin knew it.” Baron was gloating already, smirking, his chest puffed out. Ana gave a short laugh and shook her head no. “Not quite.” 

She turned to Chad and pressed her hand palm down against the front of his singlet, letting her fingertips brush against the straps, giving a playful tug to pull herself against him closer. Chad sucked in a sharp breath and eyed her with a curious glance.

What was she up to?

“You can take me though. You can take me anywhere, Chad. You can do anything.” Ana’s teeth grazed her bottom lip and the way her voice dropped real low as she told him he could do anything had Chad giving a smirk and slipping his arms around her as he stared down at her. “Anything, huh?”

“Mhm. See, what Baron’s failed to learn is that some women prefer men to boys. I think it’s high time he learned that lesson… So.. How about it, Chad? Gonna show me what being with a real man is like?” Ana bit her lip, voice taking on a flirty and giggly tone as she walked her fingers up and down his chest, staring up at him. Chad swallowed hard and sucked in a breath when he felt her rubbing right against him. His fingertips dug into her lower back as he cleared his throat.

“I’d love that, actually.” he answered, flashing Baron a smirk as he answered, watching Baron’s eyes cloud with anger. Ana grabbed hold of Chad’s jaw, guiding his gaze down to her as she gave a soft giggle. “You can pick me up at 6. I’ll be the one in the little red dress.”

“Red, huh?” Chad breathed against her lips as Ana rose to tiptoe slightly and brushed them against his while muttering, “Mhm.. I mean you are the one who said you liked my new red lipgloss..”

Chad’s fingertips dug into her lower back more firmly and his tongue slipped past her lips as he chuckled, “ You’re something else, you know that?”

Slow Burn:

Pete Dunne;

“ Y’ can always call me. Y’ know that, right?”  

When Pete said it at the time, Alexandra honestly hadn’t ever thought she’d be considering it. But he was her best friend, they’d been best friends since he was 7 and she was 5, so she knew he meant it. She’d assured him she’d be fine and that she knew what she was doing and now, standing in the airport in Florida, where he’d relocated to, she just wasn’t sure how true that was anymore.

The only thing she was beyond sure of was that she missed him. Nothing felt the same without him. Despite having everything go her way for once and having pretty much everything she thought she wanted, she still felt this void. After thinking about it, she decided that she was sick of feeling that way and she realized that the only times she didn’t feel that way were the times she was with Pete.

The realization prompted her to break off her engagement, move out of her ex fiance’s loft and buy a ticket to Florida. She didn’t know if what she was doing was a huge mistake and while she knew Pete meant it when he said it originally, she didn’t know that calling him now would be a good idea.

What if he’d met someone?

The thought had her conflicted. As everyone on her flight rushed to meet the loved ones they had waiting on them at the airport, Alexandra powered on her phone and bit her lip as she realized that Pete had gotten the text she sent explaining that she wanted to visit and telling him she was actually en route.

Pete Dunne stood in the lobby of the airport. He glanced at the time, blue eyes darting to the gate she’d be coming out of when her plane finished unloading. Just as he started to tap his foot impatiently, he spotted her.

Trent and Tyler shared a look as he started to shove through the thickening crowd and headed towards one of the gates. They followed, Trent musing to himself, “I wonder if he’ll finally tell her how he really feels.”

“I wonder if she’ll finally open her eyes. Because she feels the same way too. Remember last time we went back? When he took us to meet her? The tension was so fuckin thick I couldn’t bloody breathe.” Tyler answered as the two caught up to Pete just in time to witness it all unfolding.

Pete spotted Alexandra right as she spotted him. He walked towards her quickly and she ran towards him, meeting him halfway, climbing into his arms, taking his face into her hands as she crashed her mouth against his and kissed him until he felt his lips starting to swell and bruise. Pete’s fingers dug into her ass and he growled quietly into the kiss while deepening it.

“I broke it off with Jasper.”

“Thank fuck. Was startin t’ think I was going to have t’ kidnap y’ before the wedding.” Pete let her slide down his body and stand on her own feet but he pulled her close, staring down at her. “Yer okay though… Right?”

“Better than okay, actually. I feel happier and free now. More free than I’ve felt in a long time. I had to come here because I missed you and it was driving me insane.” Alexandra admitted it shyly as her gaze settled on the stone tiled floor. Pete tilted her chin up, staring down at her intently. “Did y’ come here for me?”

“I did.”

The smile came before he could stop it and he leaned in, crashing his mouth against hers all over again, slower and deeper. She clung to him and whimpered quietly at the sheer need in the kiss as she asked, “Did you want me to come here for you?”

“ Just want you actually.” Pete admitted quietly, the kiss breaking as the two pulled apart, working to catch their breaths and straighten their disheveled appearances while laughing and staring at each other.

Enemies To Lovers:

Drew Gulak;

“If that dress got any shorter, you’d be violating several dress codes in the handbook.” Drew’s gaze roamed over her body and Carmen fumed, looking up at him. Naturally, rather than spare her a compliment, he had to point out something she was doing wrong.

It felt like no matter what she did, Drew Gulak was going to find fault with it. The man was overbearing. The fact that he was also her biggest temptation went without saying. She preferred not to think about it, if she had to be perfectly honest.

“Oh? And what if I told you the higher ups like these dresses? I mean they must because this is what I’m told to put on every single time I have to do a segment or walk you to the ring, asshole.” Carmen stood straighter, her gaze still only meeting the center of Drew’s chest. She jabbed her finger into it, biting her lip when she felt the muscles beneath his bare skin ripple at the touch. Tilting her gaze slightly, she met his gaze and smirked. “ Tony also likes these dresses.”

“Tony’s easily amused and easily bored, as well.” Drew fumed at the remark. Every single time he was around Carmen, he felt his grip on his self control slip just a little more. Lately, being around her for any length of time was a challenge to his fading self control of epic proportions.

Especially when she made her little comments. Or when she openly flirted with their co workers. Or wore the revealing outfits and the little heels she seemed to enjoy wearing to flaunt her body to pretty much any man with eyes.

It was driving him fucking insane.

She raised her hand and Drew caught it with his hand around her wrist. He stepped closer and stared down at her intently. Carmen stepped closer, glaring up at him. “You’re an overbearing, uptight…” her words were cut off at Drew loosening his grip on her hand, letting his own hand boldly venture down to her ass, squeezing it hard through the fabric of her dress as he crushed her against him and buried his mouth in her mouth deep and mumbled simply, “Brat.”

Carmen started off with every intention of shoving him away, but she wound up gripping his tie and raising herself to tiptoe, one of her legs raising to his hip and his hand moving down to grip her thigh. She gasped into the deepening kiss when not only did he bite her lower lip, but she rubbed right against him and felt the way he was straining at his trousers already. “You do this on purpose. Now you know what you do to me.” Drew stated as his fingers slid through her hair and snagged in the ends, hand resting across the back of her neck as Carmen felt her lips swelling under the impact of the kiss he gave. “What I’m struggling to figure out is why. I know you’re not interested in Tony or any of the others.” the kiss broke and he stared her down, firm gaze as he waited on her answer.

Carmen’s mouth opened and closed as she tried to come up with something, with anything other than the honest to God truth.

“I.. Oh fuck you.” Carmen grabbed hold of his tie, pulling his mouth back down to her own as she gave back a kiss with twice as much force and passion as the one he’d pulled her into. When she rubbed against him, Drew groaned, his lips parting, her tongue slipping between them, massaging his tongue. 

[chocafe]

— persona

summary: not knowing each other’s identities, byounggon and you befriend one another on stan twitter, after bonding over treasure13. little do you both know that you guys actually dislike one another in real life.

genre: humor, fluff, enemies to friends, social media + bulletpoints

a/n: i really wanted to upload this on byounggon’s birthday, but i wasn’t able to because i had to prepare for my midterm exams! think of this as a little present to byounggon and you all ♡

additional info: treasure13 is a group, but ygtb never occurred in this imagine and the boys mentioned in here aren’t trainees. you + junkyu stan ➯ byounggon + hyunsuk stan ➯ seunghun + jihoon stan ➯ dohwan + doyoung stan ➯ midam + yedam stan ➯ keita + mashiho stan

the thought of meeting bex for the first time is perhaps the only reason why you’re so excited to see a new day

the two of you originally met online, as treasure13 stans on twitter, and to know that you both can finally meet in person and take this friendship to another level is more than anything you‘ve ever dreamed of! ! !

you’ve always wondered how bex looked like in real life, and unlike seunghun, you tended to think of him as a innocent baby by the way he talks to you (which is pure fluffiness and endless cycles of “ily y/n you’re the best person out there!”)

“he said that he would be here by four.” you utter underneath your breath as you look around the cafe that the two of you were supposed to officially meet inside of

from what you remembered, bex mentioned that he would be wearing a black long sleeve with a white undershirt underneath it

but he never gave any specific details as to how he physically looks like

im describing the outfit he wore when he was in japan if yall want a visual represent bc i dont know how to describe it at the same time

“it shouldn’t be hard to find him because there’s barely anyone in here.” you say once more to yourself

as you walk around the cafe, you discover byounggon, your group project teammate that you always complain about on your twitter timeline

“whAT IS HE DOING HERE???” you mentally scream out loud, but in reality, you cover your mouth with your hand, trying your best to stop yourself from many any sounds that could attract him

a little story is that you and byounggon were supposed to work on your project today, but you said you couldn’t make it because you felt sick,,,

on the other hand, byounggon said that it was alright because he was unexpectedly called in by his boss to work another shift at his part-time job,,,,,,,

ya’ll are both liars

you dash over to the farthest table in the back of the cafe

and begin to crazily text bex out of proportion

you: hello???

you: BEX

you: are you here?

bex: i am, but are you here????

you: omg quick where are you because we need to leave and find somewhere else to hang out at ASAP

you: remember that boy i told you about that i didn’t really have a fond for?

you: ha hA ha HA…. he’s here

bex: JSLKFJSKJSKLJD I WANT TO MEET HIM

bex: can you raise your hand? i’m not sure which person is exactly you, so this will help me a lot when it comes to finding you

you: can you raise your hand too so i could try to find you at the same time?

immediately after the short conversation, you throw your hand up, but what you saw in front of you was beyond your imagination

your mouth flew wide open as you saw byounggon staring right at you with his hand held high up into the air ( ˚Д˚)

“b-byounggon?” you pointed your index finger towards him as you began to stutter. “bex? is that you?”

“y/n?” byounggon sighs heavily, bringing his hand to push away the strandways hitting his face. “you said that you were sick!”

“anD YOU SAID YOU HAD WORK”

*~*awkward cricket noises*~*

“i guess that means we both just really wanted to meet each other?” you positively thought out loud with a small smile creeping onto your face. “this is still weird to me, to be honest.”

byounggon’s voice grew quiet as he walks closer over to you, attempting to whisper into your ear despite your guys height difference. “don’t tell anyone that i have a stan twitter dedicated to treasure13.”

trying your best to stay steady on your toes, you returned the action by also whispering into byounggon’s ear. “as long as you continue being my friend then i won’t tell a single person.”

despite you two disliking each other in real life, you both decided to push away that factor due to you guys being great friends online

byounggon told you not to tell anyone about this situation

but you still found your way into keita’s inbox, spilling your feelings and stories about you and byounggon to him ♡

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 45-48

Chapter 45

Nor is floating in a super sci-fi space carriage over the last remaining “wealthy” city on Xen Ptera, which is apparently so garbage only a few people have roofs over their heads. She thinks about how much she loves her people and how she’s doing this for them, except she purposefully floats just out of reach of their poor-people hands and throws food and “med kits” at them so they’ll follow. 

Darai is very confused by this, because Shinsay desperately need Nor to seem complex and intelligent. She compares her people to an [incidental space animal] she got from her father as a child.

“I fed it,” she explained. “Give a pet food, Darai, and it will do anything to stay by your side. Starve it or beat it, and it will begin to fear your very existence, only coming out of hiding in the moments when you have something to give and it to take.” 

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

[...]

“The people of Xen Ptera are my responsibility now. But more than that, they are my soldiers, and I wish for them to follow me always. No matter how dark the path I choose to walk upon.”

Yes, this makes so much sense. First you let your people starve and get radiation poisoning, but then you throw scraps at their feet and obviously peasants are food-motivated like kittens and will absolutely do as you say. 

Except this doesn’t make any fucking sense for many, many reasons. 

1) Darai complains about the fact that these rations are used for scientists and soldiers. Which he’s right about. If Nor has an army and scientists, those people tend to be far more useful in, say, a war, than a bunch of mutated and starving peasants. 

2) I dunno if Shinsay have read any history ever, but when large masses of people get hungry, they don’t just sit there, they turn on the few people in power who still have food and resources. These peasants would turn on Nor the moment someone else provided better food. I’m just saying that Nor’s neck accessory wouldn’t be a spiked collar but a guillotine.

3) Don’t you have that Zenith stuff? The stuff that can make people into brainwashed robots with a single drop? Release that shit into the atmosphere and save your food and “med kits” for the few actually crucial people who need it.

3.5) If you’re only going to use it on enemies to convert them, why bother with your people in the first place? Despite what Nor is claiming, her “love” for her people is token at best and her priority lies in revenge, not recovery.

4) Also it’s so transparent that they only wrote this to make Nor look smart, because they purposefully made Darai into an idiot who doesn’t understand basic concepts when he previously was written as an older, intelligent advisor.

Nor arrives at the old palace ruins and it’s all very sad and angsty, complete with special Backstory Flowers that used to Bloom but Don’t Anymore because the Environment got Too Tragic, and flashbacks to that time her hand and also her dad were crushed under rubble. We find out that the crowd gathered here are just “thousands” of people, and Nor refers to them as her “army.” Okay. 

Nor gets stage fright when the crowd is silent and doesn’t instantly love her because she has the confidence of a highschooler asking someone out to prom, and decides to snap her golden hand off to prove to her people that she’s “their equal,” which works for some reason even though the narration acknowledges it as a lie. 

Obviously starving people seeing this LITERALLY GOLDEN woman who just shat out a bunch of free food from her floating carriage will definitely 100% swallow her little speech about how they have to take revenge. Even the mothers holding up their starving infants! We all know people who are starving want revenge before a sandwich. The blood of my enemies? I call it vengeance ketchup.

She shows Zenith to the crowd which they totally understand what it is right away from afar and how it works and what it has to do with literally anything.

“Remember, Xen Pterrans, and never forget, that even the stars can bleed!”

The royal entourage pack up and Nor says she wants a crown forged for herself because “every queen needs one” and: 

“I want to wear it while we feast on the galaxy’s bones.”

Cool. 

Chapter 46

We’re in Lira’s POV while she’s doing what she does best: moping off on her own. I guess she’s not very special in that regard. She’s thinking about how she loves to fly because the sky has no limits and the ground is confusing. Aight.

The gang seems to have gotten off without any punishment for crashing into a village and are now staying at the very center of power of Adhira, this mountain palace called Rhymore. It’s very pretty and yadda yadda, I skipped 90% of the description because literally whomst careth. 

One important detail to keep in mind is that we find out varillium, the glass-like substance that the Marauder is made of is, like M. Night Shyamalan’s movie starring Bruce Willis, unbreakable. You know, which is why they need those metal shields around the damn thing. Thanks guys, this makes total sense.

Lira looks into an “eyeglass” and sees literally all of Adhira like a tiny map. Either Shinsay are confused about what a telescope does, or they’re flat-earthers. And yeah, she literally sees cities, waterfalls, rainforests, deserts ... This is after we’ve established she’s in a mountainous area.

All the descriptions read like screensavers and are just as relevant to the story so I’ll just skip them. 

Lira is ambushed by her twin brother Lon, who is the owner of that sarcastic soul we’ve heard so much about. 

He was at least a head taller than her now, his pale blue arms rippling with muscle, spreading up into a thick neck and strong shoulders.

This description bothers me and I don’t know why. 

The conversation quickly turns all mopey and Lon says Lira has abandoned her people and himself, to which she replies she was only protecting him from WHAT SHE’S BECOME (wake me up inside). We then get a random infodump about how the Adhiran queen is super great and loving and a perfect leader. Not perfect enough to abdicate the throne but I don’t think Shinsay thought that far. Monarchy good if monarchs good, obviously.

Lon is all “ur still my sister until the mountain falls uwu” and Lira is like “omg stop guilt-tripping meee” and we’re informed there’s gonna be a “peace festival” soon that celebrates the end of the war against Xen Ptera. How convenient that their ship would randomly malfunction right before this event. :)

Lira says she wants to tell him only the good stuff of what’s happened while she was away and says that she’s been using Moon Chew, which is Bad for Reasons, and she knows Lon uses it too but keeps it a secret from the queen aka their aunt. Lon asks about what “led” Lira to using it and I’m just baffled by the fact that we still don’t know what the fuck Moon Chew is or what it does, and why, if it’s something so terrible that one must be “led” to using it, they’re talking about it like it’s some unhealthy fast food their aunt frowns upon and not, say, a drug? 

Anyway, Lira tells him of their adventures and it sounds way more interesting than anything we’ve read so far. Then we get this:

Lon always knew that Lira harbored a darkness in her soul. A little tug, a tiny whisper at the back of her mind, that led her to go above and beyond the pranks that Lon had always pulled while they were growing up here. 

She’d fallen, not for a lover, but for the skies. For adventure. 

She’d found a ship full of girls with their own affinity for darkness to mirror her own.

So I recently found out that there’s supposedly an “asexual” alien in the crew of the Marauder, and that member is apparently Lira. I think this idea is reinforced by the “fallen but not for a lover” line.

Framing her wanting to explore the world on her own and go her own way, comparing it to falling in love but not with another person but with a concept, as a darkness in her soul? 

Not a good look.

Anyway, Lon decides after all this time that apparently Lira was always meant to fly and tells her that her aunt wants to see her.

This is plot?

Chapter 47

We’re in Valen’s POV. He wakes up and is in pain but not enough to avoid noticing that he’s in a fluffy bed and outside there is [insert generic description of pretty place here] and it’s so pretty he could never paint it, because he’s a painter and he can’t relate anything in his life to anything but painting.

The Adhiran queen is there and she’s very pretty. She asks him about the last thing he remembers, which is Nor, and it sends him into a ... flashback? Basically he starts freaking out that this isn’t real and they sedate him again and the last thing he sees is

[...] Androma Racella leaning forward from the shadows across the room, half of her face aglow as sunlight spilled across her skin like paint.

You know, because he’s a painter!

Chapter 48

We’re back with Lira, who starts the second chapter like she started the previous one, complaining about how being planetside is the worst. Yep, we get it. It’s the worst. Cuz she’s a pilot. 

Painters be painting. Pilots be piloting. If your characters don’t constantly refer back to their one defining characteristic, how will be able to tell them apart? 

Anywho, Lira finally gets to the queen.

Alara was beautiful in every sense of the word, inside and out. She had a lithe frame, perfectly proportioned, and no scales on her skin.

PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED

What in the everloving fuck does that even mean? :’) Probably just means she’s skinny.

And of course she has no scales, only evil people and/or “morally grey” people can have imperfections. How do we know someone is good unless they have flawless skin?

Lira had always admired Alara’s beauty, but it paled in comparison to the woman’s intelligence.

Shinsay, slapping us all with a big purple dildo: THIS IS FEMINISM. 

“She’s absolutely good and perfect and INTELLIGENT because women don’t have to be pretty to be smart and we totes value things other than beauty, but let us constantly describe how absolutely fucking DICK-OUT-HOT this Generic Good Queen is, in case you ever doubted it.”

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

And, yeah, Nor is also described as hot, but like, evil hot. Sexualized and sexual and dangerous and GASP OMG SHE HAS A GOLD HAND. GGQ straight up glows, that’s how good she is.

Generic Good Queen addresses Lira as “Lirana” which, yeah, ok, and we get this:

“I’ve just had a rather unfortunate conversation with Valen Cortas, the poor, tortured soul, so spare me whatever dramatic greeting you must have prepared.”

You know what? Maybe Generic Good Queen ain’t so bad after all. 

YOU TELL HER, GGQ. 

[the-nysh]

Bkdk fic recs? Not any particular genre/setting; just stories that you fell in love with.

Ohoo!! *___* Yes, do I have a handful of them! Time to go through mypersonal notes and share what I’ve saved!

First up are some of my fav prolificauthors (and their well-known, must-read fics), whose attention to detail, emotionaldepth, and characterizations I trust and therefore I would read anything they write of the pair:

 @atomicblonde/lalazee (Blood Moon), for writingsome of the most riveting emotional roller coasters, whose power with words anddialogue can both raze mountains and completely swoon you asunder with theirintensity. All her fics are worth reading (and there are plenty!) But I thinkthe one that particularly touched me most was Ugly Beautiful. :’)

@driftingglass (Before Midnight), forwriting some of the most immersive stories coiled with gripping and buildingtension, both plot wise and relationship wise. Also has one of the mostdescriptive and intense voices. And for writing a Deku with thedetermined/defiant agency he deserves.    

@soulestring/soulstring(Falling, I feel you), for some ofthe most emotionally raw & vulnerable scenes of feelings realization I’veseen. Through all the extensive denial, fear, reluctance, and passion towardslove. Chronic emotional constipation at its crippling worst and most beautifullyrewarding. Oho, I’ve reread these many times for just how strongly they stuckwith me. (Also features Kiri as a valuable mvp, oh thank goodness

@osakakitty (Make Every Moment Last,Like the Moon), mmm,for a finesse with sweeping/honest tenderness with enough resonance to make oneweep. I know many readers who have fallen victim to it. Not from sadness, butfrom just how thoroughly touching and profound her stories are. :’) What ablessing, indeed.  

@kanaevr/Kanae_vR(The Space Between), forwriting with an awareness and careful handling of both the characters and plotthat I could best describe as sincere.The detailed realism and slice of life aspects are both relatable and fun, which contribute towards a whole,well-rounded package that is thoroughly engaging to read.  

Next, aside from the many works available from the authors above, are some fav individual fics that I’mparticularly fond of:

In the Eye of the Storm by @cheshirebutton,THE iconic naga au. If there’s one fic in the fandom I’d consider my fav, I think it’d be this one. Which I’ve read 5+ times, and would definitely reread again. 8D Ilove it that much. Everything is handled with so much impressive quality and care;almost anything introduced has a purpose that will become relevant again later(which is why rereading is so fun). From the impeccable world building to thecharacterizations, the absolute stakes and peril involved that drives them towardsbelievable, life-altering decisions (the weightthey must consider between duty and personal feelings)…from the wedges thatkept them stubbornly apart, towards a curious magnetism and blooming/meaningfulsolidarity that brings them closer together even stronger. :’)) This is classicenemies to reluctant allies to lovers done beautifully, and has me convinced oftheir mutual feelings 1000%. Omg, they feel somuch. ;A; Whenever there’s a ch update I have to immediately dropeverything because it’s just thatgood, ahhh.

Hunting the Past by Justaperson1718, theassassin and blackmailed!bodyguard au! 8D Which happens to be my fav actionfic. It’s so smart and fast-paced, from all the convoluted planning and tensesteps involved to set things right, damn! We have these expertly specializedpros, extremely capable in their respective fields…but who are also fumblingdorks unaccustomed to sorting out their feelings and properly communicating(esp after all the conditioning/exp they’ve been through). It’s so fun to watch them executemissions and then transition to the domestic (yet still very muchliving on edge) down time with them learning to bond while taking care ofKouta. Unexpected surrogate action parents due to dire circumstances, aha!  

The Mummy by Spectra, my favadventure fic. A retelling of the classic movie, but done so well and with style. Probably some of the most genuine fun I’vehad reading fics in this fandom, ahaha what a riot. XD From the crazyshenanigans they get caught up in to the wholesome heh copious amount ofbonding from their time together. Truly, all scenes are extremely well paced andallotted for the type of ‘meat’ readers are in for. Kacchan is so comically (andseriously) overprotective of Deku, omg I love it. (Considering the endlesstypes of human & undead enemies after them, ahh!) Bonus, Kiri is such a goodaccompanying bro, what a delight.

Some Read It For The Articlesby low_commotion,for some of the nerdiest awkward dork bonding, from their shared seriousinterest in hero mags, to their more hands-on practical applications in the gymtogether (ayyy!! ;D)…all while everyone else in the class assumes it’s over‘something else’ and blows it out of proportion (oho~ but things ARE slowlyhappening!) It’s such a hilarious and witty slow burn scenario where they helpeach other improve, but I think what really shines are the faithfulcharacterizations. Deku has such a distinct rambling headspace, and while thepov is limited, the respectable merits inherent to Kacchan’s character stillshine…like ahh, that’s it; that’s why he’s a fav. A very fun and unique ficindeed!  

Just Like The Comics by brichibi,oh man!! The angst and feels truly got me in this ‘what-if’ scenario where Dekunever earned ofa, never went to U.A., and slowly became so jaded/bitter athaving to settle for something other than his dream, his growing envywitnessing Kacchan achieve his burned too much to bear. It’s such a fascinating and segmented Deku characterstudy where he has to discover what he really wants in life, with plenty ofmeta jabs at canon that had me going whoa!!! :O Plus Kacchan is as patient andaccommodating to Deku’s pace as he can be. :’) (Which…became another point ofcontention for Deku, to not hold him back from becoming the best…yet I love the counter, ‘I don’thave everything; I don’t have you.’ fuufjgkgh!!! ;A;)

And now even MORE fics that I like/enjoy, which have caught my attention, orthat I’m currently eagerly waiting for more updates:

warm hands and shipwreck on the red sea byflowercafeAHHHHH!!! Warm hands features my most fav headcanon: heated quirk musclemassages. (Omg it’s so tender/intimate; I’m so weak ;A;) While shipwreck featuresshark mer!Kacchan! 8D I love the realistic attention to detail/descriptions andpenchant for marine biology, ohh it has such an immersive Life of Pi feel. (Pluswelcome room for spice, oho.) Actually, all this author’s works are great withtheir extremely strong starts, definitely keeping watch!

under a hollow sun by umbrage, probablymy personal choice for the classic fantasy au most faithfully adapted (YESSfinally one that matches what I’d been searching for 8’D with a fun supportiveKiri too! *grovels at author’s feet*) Many classmates are incorporated in a fun way too! (Authoralso wrote another fic featuring funny accidental quirk misfire during certain…activitiesand dang, I wish more authors would make use of that too, ahaha! XD)  

springtime of youth by claimedbydaryl,I’m extremely fond of the last chapter, for how realistic and awkwardly naturalthe approach is, definitely left a lasting impression.  

Incandescent Snow by Chicory, acarefully crafted au and scenario that is gorgeous and tentative, with well-madeoc’s who contribute their unique pov’s of the boys’ growing relationship.  

Collision by stardustacademia(cosmiclarents), one of the most thorough and in-depth looks into Kacchan’spsyche and angst I’ve seen, but it’s unfortunately been deleted. :’(( Noting itanyway for remembrance’s sake.

Ambivalent by bakuboi ohdang this was such a unique approach to Kacchan’s pov and source of his anger I’veseen, and impressive writing insight for being anime-only too.

A Haze of Crystal by semiautomatichearts,ooh I really enjoyed the emotional depth in this one; the author has anotherhanahaki story I’m keeping an eye on as well.

how he should’ve known (andhow it turned out) by vannral, theirapproach to the classic fake dating trope caught my attention, but all theirworks are fun and worth checking out too! :D Def keeping an eye on their stuff.

The Devil Blues by iknewamantheir police detective au is so fun and well done; oho those sparks fly! They’vewritten more stuff with unique/interesting approaches I’ve enjoyed too.

Map of Scars by Celestialgunfireopera,ohh :’)) a very touching and vulnerable moment, through particular intimacy andacknowledgment of past actions previously left unsaid. That type of meaningful tendernessand skinship really hits the spot.  

By Design by EtherealBeing(also author of Bluebird), this one is such a unique idea/premise I have not seenbefore! :O Extremely fascinated to see where it’s going.

Izuku’s Home for Wayward Petsby glamour_weeb,wolfdog-hybrid rescue and rehab au, omg it’s so charming and wholesome. :’3  

Shadows and Gold by Sonday, thedesert prince/servant au, whoa!!  

Fireflies for the Moon byBestTankTopist (Keyade), the historical samurai au! Definitely got my eyes onit for more.  

Lunch on Tuesdays by @rironomind,and of course, I have to rec my buddy for her casual, slice of life take ofthese disaster dumbasses that is both fun and surprisingly bold (for tackling that topic in a way no one else has)with authentic Japanese flair (only rom could think of the meaningful gesture ofDeku sitting in seiza, like wow why have I not seen anyone else incorporatesuch behavior before, dang). Thanks so much, rom.

And there we go! Hopefully that’s a big enough handful of fics toappreciate, as I’ve read plenty more where these came from. :’D There are somany talented writers and amazing fics in the fandom worth all the support!  

[kaponos]

I need to rant about primordus bear with me

Primordus was one of my most anticipated stories in the game, only rivaled by the horror in the deep sea (which has been kicked down the road until maybe never.) I’ve been doing the aurora legendary collections recently, which require you to go back to season 3 maps, and being in ember bay and draconis mons again reminded me how much I love the lava dog and how mad I am at how he got shafted. The following is an unconnected stream of thoughts.

I love how apocalyptic his simple presence in a location is. Severe earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, destroyers flowing out from fissures opening in the earth. And because he can just swim around in the mantle and tunnel through stone, he can move under any location on Tyria with zero difficulty. He does this exact thing at the beginning of season 3, moving from his previous nap spot under frostgorge sound to the ring of fire. Just being under the islands pushes draconis mons up above the water and destabilizes ember bay’s volcanoes to the point of explosive eruption.

Part of his affect on the environment comes from just how fucking enormous he is, easily the biggest of all the dragons, his head in draconis mons with the proportions from his planned final design (which is incredible omg look at it he’s a walking volcano) makes his full body as large as two maps. Completely infeasible for a full model but I would still be happy with just a head and neck if it’s done right. Utilizing the lava is probably the best bet, make him like a shark swimming in the lava with his giant back spikes poking out occasionally.

The destroyers are so different from all the other dragon minions in that they are built rather than being corrupted forms of other life. This disconnect from other life on tyria extend to their designs which are all very bizarre, looking like someone drew them from descriptions of other creatures without knowing what the original looked like. Many destroyers have very insect like features, the wyverns’ heads for instance look like centipedes, and the Great Destroyer looks like a fucked up mix between a dragon and a beetle.

The destroyer champions all have fantastic names, like Destroyer of the Last King and Destroyer of the Great Bridge, their accomplishments in destroying the dwarves becoming a part of their identity. It makes me want one for the big boy too, something like Destroyer of All Things. I can imagine that as the instance name of the final fight or something.

Draconis mons is so good viewed as a primordus map, the sheer size, vertically, and firey desolation of of the cavern makes you feel super deep underground and so close to him, while the greener areas make for a fun comparison to real volcanoes and how their violence and destruction makes a rich starting point for new life to grow. The presence of the rata novus gang ruins in the map is also great. This is the dragon that destroyed their whole civilization and forced them out and here he is once again to burn away the remains of the fools who tried to return underground. I do wish that we would have gotten some more inquest vs destroyers stuff. It super annoys me how a large section of the map is filled with the most generic enemy type in all of video games, nameless mercenaries. That space could have been filled with something more relevant and interesting. (God the Balthazar stuff was such a waste of time. But that’s for a different more whiny rant.)

Personality wise, him being a mindless destroy destroy kill kill guy is fine, it fits with him being the destroyer of all things, the burner of the world. I would have liked to hear him roar and foam at the mouth about how everything needs to burn and die and say other horrible things, kralkatorrik’s torment has been the only source of such vitriol and those lines are great.

👏 rant 👏 done

[teashadephoenix]

11 Questions

I got tagged by @pomegranate-belle <3 I'm sorry this took for fucking ever?!!??

I’ll tag @lioness--hart @fox-in-the-library and @whitegodiva if you guys want to do it? And anybody else, obvi <3

1. How long have you been writing?

Actually sitting down to type stories out? Eight years old. I've been making shit up since I could talk. I have it on good authority I am entertaining to listen to.

2. What are the major themes of your current wip(s)? LONG ANSWER

omg I really dont know. I spent several hours over several days banging on this question in my head both in front of the computer and away from it only to come to the horrified realisation that I Don't Know. *gay panic*

I know the things I like to write about. I like to write about free exchange of culture, of mutual respect and fraternity with your fellow humans (which leads to themes of unity, unconditional love not only of people but of the world, and the gray area of what it means to protect those things without giving in to hate, indifference and intolerance. THE GRAY AREA IS WHERE I THRIVE.)

I like to write about intergenerational relationships (which leads to themes of obsolescence, changing of the guard, and how people, in general, not individuals, never really change. Like, there's For a Good Time graffiti on the walls at Pompeii. That is HILARIOUS.)

I write a lot about family, both born and found. (Everybody has a place and everybody is loved.) I write about mental illness and being queer (which all by itself leads to themes of not knowing your place in the world even if you have one. Frequently comes up against the previously mentioned theme)

So yeah. I don't know. My big WIP, the Aalee Rise series, is about a young woman on the cusp of adulthood going out into the world for the first time. It's her idealism vs reality. The other main characters in that cast are all foils re: various facets of societal structure and ideologies. One challenges her idea of government, another her idea of religion. She falls in love, her loyalties to her brother and parents are tested, she makes mistakes, she fights monsters and saves the world. A lot.

tldr; It's my sandbox and I just wanted to build castles in it. I don't really know if the castles will mean anything when I'm done. I hope they do.

3. What do you want people to take away from your story once they’ve read it?

My greatest ambition is that I could ever write a hero as beloved as the heroes I read about growing up, figures that reminds not to give up hope, to get back up when we're down, that the dark times ahead of us will come to pass.

At best, if I've done that, I'll be ecstatic and satisfied.

At worst, as long as you had a good time, if you didn't throw the book across the room in disgust, I'll take it.

4. Would you be excited if people write fanfiction about your wip(s)?

YAAAAS. I would literally never read it because Im terrified of accidentally absorbing someone's ideas and making them my own bc Christ alive that's a legal nightmare, but yes that would make my life.

And you can have my firstborn if you send me fanart.

5. What’s your go-to writing beverage?

Tea. Really strong and sweet. I make a fresh quart each morning and usually go through it by the end of day.

6. Who is your favorite oc? Tell me about them!

OMG ALL OF MY CHILDREN ARE PRECIOUS. (it's Aalee.)

Aalee Dering is the eighteen-year-old protagonist of my Aalee Rise series.  When we meet her in volume one (Worldwalk) she and her twin brother are setting off on their coming-of-age journey around the country. Her people, the Noruahai, have defended humanity for generations from unearthly creatures called asmic, and if she wants to become a licensed Marshal like her famous mother (and wow, she really, really does) she'll have to prove herself on her Worldwalk.

Aalee thinks with her heart first and always. She loves beautiful things, and all things are beautiful to her. She's quick to cry and struggles with anger, as well as distraction; she has trouble keeping focus. Good for getting into trouble. Not so good when it comes to being a responsible adult.

It would probably be easier if she wasn't of two minds on every single decision she has to make. She empathises with everyone, which can be paralysing-- how can she fight someone whose point of view she gets?

7. Do you feel that mistakes are important learning tools in the writing journey?

Mistakes are learning tools of life, darling. In writing they generally aren't the types that will destroy friendships, health, financial status, etc, which means they're generally easier to bounce back from. Unless you commit career suicide in some way...

8. Rank your ocs by their capability in a footchase (either running after or from smth, your choice)

1. Fall from the Aalee Rise series. He's a complicated human. Without getting into the context of the world he's from, he's hard to explain; but the short version is he's half-ghost so he can basically turn himself into the wind.

2. Rosie Frey from Color of the Stars but only when she's a lion. In her human form she's pretty normal.

3. Lynn Blythe (or any of the other vampires) from Echoes of Eden, because they're cheating cheaterfaces who use mystical vampy powers to be stronger and faster than humans

4. Sendmarshal Henley from the Aalee Rise series. Probably the fastest regular human. Imagine the most beautiful, tall, leggy black woman you can, all lean muscle and elegant grace, and now imagine her scooping you up and zipping out of danger with an easy smile on her face... *fans self* I stan.

5. When running headlong into danger to save someone? Aalee Dering. When running away? Frustratingly, satirically slow. She's one of those idiot heroes who stops to make sure everyone got away okay so Fall's always running back to grab her ("MOVE, IDIOT" "But that little old lady--" "FIRE-BREATHING MONSTERS. MOVE.")

9. Does your wip have romance? tell me about it!! if not tell me about a friendship/important relationship in your wip!! MORE LENGTHY BLAH

Relationships are the driving force of my writing. How one loves or is loved by other people, how they relate and engage with others, is how one grows, in real life and in fiction. There are a number of relationships in all my series that I'm fond of for various reasons. (For instance, even though she cannot STAND him, I'm eager af to write Eden and Lynn's relationship in Echoes of Eden because of how complicated it is.)

And as a rule all of my characters are queer or questioning unless otherwise stated, and I ship everybody with basically everybody else, and almost everybody has a love story in their history. (at least, their parents certainly do because I am a gross vile romantic and these fuckers came from somewhere.)

That having been said, for the sake of brevity I'll stick with Aalee Rise and limit myself to the Big Three: Aalee and her brother Elles, Aalee and her best friend Norah, and Aalee and Fall.

FAMILY: Aalee and Elles are twins. Born together and never separated, which stands out in a world where families are broken up by chaotic circumstances and random death on a regular basis. Aalee is easily distracted and has difficulty communicating her thoughts, so she tends to act on impulse; Elles is forever the cool head and the hand grabbing her by the back of the shirt to stop her from walking into danger. And after eighteen years of this... he's tired of it. He loves his sister, but he longs to see the world on his own terms, walk his own path. And Aalee doesn't share that sentiment. Not only doesn't share it, but is blown away when it comes into play. Her partner in crime wants to break away, and she does not take it very well. The first volume (Worldwalk) explores how their relationship suffers, grows, and changes due to this break.

FRIEND: Aalee's best friend of ten years is Norah. They met as little girls in a monster-ravaged town; Norah was entertaining the youngest orphans with a story and Aalee joined in. The pair of them spent a long night keeping civilians from panicking while Marshals battled asmic beyond the walls of the bunker. They exchanged addresses and became penpals over the next few years, since both of their parents travelled and they were rarely in the same place at the same time. That changed suddenly when Norah lost her father. Since then, Norah's family and Aalee's have lived in the same town. Norah is her warm hand in the dark, her shoulder to cry on, the first person she tells any good news. for Norah, Aalee is the only person (at the beginning of the story, anyway) with whom she can be her real whole self. They love each other no matter what.

ROMANCE: And then there's Fall. Aalee meets Fall when she rescues him from being murdered in a back alley-- except, oops, turns out it was a sting operation to catch the killer because he's not actually the helpless filthy vagabond she assumed he was; he's actually a powerful Marshal who was on assignment. Stuck together for various reasons, he becomes a mentor to her on her worldwalk, while she blatantly digs into the mystery of who he is, which turns out to complicate their lives, the lives of their friends and families, randos they happens across, their enemies, and also God's. To say they fall in love with each other is an understatement of cosmic proportions. They choose each other.

10. Do you believe in the advice kill your darlings?

Yeah but I take the advice as intended; which is not, as most assume, kill your fave characters, but to get rid of that which does not work, even if you love it. That pearlescent line of dialogue, or that golden bit of allegory? Doesn't matter how much you love it and how proud of it you are, if it does. not. work. it HAS. TO. GO. (save it in a new file to reread when you feel down and scrap that shit from the main file.)

that said re: killing characters, in my youth I was very much of the George RedRum Martin camp of "KILL THEM ALL" but as Ive gotten older my main focal point has been "What purpose does their death serve?" Death is not the only sacrifice worth writing. So while I am not afraid to kill my characters, I do take the nature of their deaths in the writing very seriously. There has to be a point.

11. Do you prefer plotting or worldbuilding? Why?

WORLDBUILDING MANYEXCLAMATIONPOINTSGOHERE! Plotting is like the maths of writing. It's measurement, it's brickwork, it's demolition when the wall you put up last week is three feet too long and now you have to scrap it and start over. Vital. But not my favorite part.

Worldbuilding is the art. It's the music your OCs hum and the stories that they treasure and the faith that holds them up when the crap you throw at them might tear them down. It's the story behind the jacket they wear and it's the reason they nod to the altar when they enter a place of worship and it's the meaning of their names. It's the magic. How the world works, the little details that make it real to the reader because it's real for your characters, is my favorite part of writing.

[thebangtancloud]

Mann! You got locked up in a bathroom🤣. A while back I had a daydream sequence where one character gets locked in the bathroom by the other .... yada yada

What I got from these chaps:

1. Jimin's an a$$ and I love it. According to my research on enemies to lovers, meanliness (is that a word?) is directly proportional to love.

2. I really like y/n in this one.

3. Tae is a cutie and I need his purple blanket.

4. You write parent-child, sibling dynamic real good.

5. I'm anxious...how you gonna fit the whole story in those remaining chaps??!

~🦦.

I definitely did 🤡 i would've been more reasonable and expressed anxiety in such a situation if I hadn't had my phone in there with me - let alone not having my mum outside. Thankfully I had both, so I was rather composed lmao. That would make an amazing plot though 🧐

"Jimin's an a$$ and I love it." JXHXHJDJSEEJ i feel you bestie. Our little angel is going to be assier than all the other asses out there, but that's only going to make the fruit more pleasing and sweet in the coming months. Bestae needs his purple blanket, we need it more 😩 and omg you think?? Thank youuu, I love thhe whole idea of the parent-sibling blend that I've been planning and I really hope I continue to execute it well.

Omg no it's not the whole story, ndjdyuee i mentioned it in the tags that there would be 10 chapters, each with 10 parts, so basically 100 parts lmao. This is only Chapter 1 so far, so yeah...we're not even halfway there bestie, dw I'll make sure you enjoy every bit of Black Swan to the fullest!!