#shameless exposition

[shearlin]

Chapter 2: What is magical energy?

Word count: 5386

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It took me much longer than I anticipated, but it's here! :D I had to write the last two pages of this chapter down on a piece of paper to battle the writer block, lol.

One chapter left, hopefully it won't be this long this time, but who knows.

Enjoy! :D

The sun passed its zenith as they kept walking to an unknown destination. The chain rearranged itself a bit after the brief intermission in their talk. Time followed Hyrule to the back and Four took his place. Twilight was walking ahead, surveying the land, but still listening to the conversation happening behind him.

“As you may recall,” Legend began, “I mentioned at the beginning that magic and magical energy are two very different things even if in a day-to-day language they are both simply called ‘magic’.

“To recap, magical energy is the power and partially the intent behind magic. It fuels it and gives it the ability to actually affect things around you. Without putting any energy in the magic you speak, you would end up striking a very strange but ultimately harmless conversation in the language of spirits and gods.

“As to where does it come from? Well, magical energy is a consequence and an extension of a different force - life energy.

“Life energy - also called vitality, vigour, Farore’s Breath or simply Life - is a quantifiable force that allows living beings to stay alive. It’s usually defined as ‘the energy required for a soul to stay connected to the physical body’ by philosophers or ‘the energy required for living organisms to maintain their bodily functions’ by healers. If for any reason your vitality would dip below a certain threshold, you would die. Simple as that.

“Vitality is stored-” he paused, thinking about his phrasing, “located in? Concentrated?”

“Need a little help?” Sky chuckled.

“Words suddenly sound weird.” Legend responded with a scowl, trying to find the right description.

“If it helps,” their attention turned to Time, “When my magic was awakened for the first time, my friend and companion from back then sat me down to make sure I understood what it meant. She told me about magic and vitality. She said that the latter is a lot like blood, flowing through the body and keeping it healthy.”

“Yeah, that would be correct,” Legend confirmed and Hyrule was nodding in agreement as well, “Some people I met argued that blood is infused with life energy to the point of equating the two, which in my opinion is a step too far. I would say that some of your earlier theories were closer. The ones with invisible veins similar to the circulatory system.” He looked over to Wind who perked up in excitement. “Minus the tiny magic bugs living in them.”

“Killjoy,” the boy murmured.

The veteran laughed and ruffled his hair, earning an offended squawk from the kid.

“However, I think that discussing different planes of existence might be a bit too much for a lesson one so how about we skip that part.”

“Different what?” Sky looked at him confused, but true to his word, Legend pretended he didn’t hear anything and moved on with the lecture.

“The thing is, the bare minimum to stay alive is not how much energy your body usually has. Vigour is directly connected to health, the two impacting each other in a feedback loop - when one increases or lowers the other follows. If you are injured or ill, your vitality will take a toll because it is being spent on keeping you well and alive through whatever ails you. If something would increase your vigour by the means of healing magic, you would become healthier.

“But naturally, you can’t get healthier than healthy. You can’t unbreak your mended bones or cure a cured illness harder . There is a limit to how much life energy your body can hold at any given time. However, that doesn’t mean that upon hitting that limit living beings just stop acquiring it. We do that by the simple virtue of existing . It can’t be turned off. So what happens after your body can’t hold any more vitality?”

He paused and looked around, partially for a dramatic effect, partially to see if anyone would try and guess. His eyes landed on Hyrule, who was smiling.

“It needs another container,” Hyrule said, loud enough to be heard even by Twilight at the front.

“Exactly. And that container is your soul. And that … is what magical energy is.”

Read the rest on Ao3!

[scarlet-witchery]

hit 5k words on the shameless soulmates au draft I'm so fucking pumped y'all

I promised a preview so here's the beginning, I hope you enjoy it

—————

For as long as Ian could remember, there was a golden thread around his sister’s wrist. The same swirls were mirrored on her best friend, who also had a bold red pattern along her collarbone to match her boyfriend. Ian had seen all of those marks for years now, knew the story about how Fiona and Veronica just knew they’d be friends for life. How Vee and Kev weren’t legally married but they might as well be. They were perfect together.

He’d also seen the blue lines along Frank’s side when his father was passed out half-naked and drunk on the kitchen floor; vaguely recalled Monica flashing them all at breakfast one time to show off her own matching marks in the middle of a screaming match with her husband. Ian didn’t remember what they were fighting about—it never mattered, really, one argument turning into another into another—but something about how they were meant for each other, how Frank needed to leave that prissy bitch who can’t even handle a line of coke. Ian knew how bad both of his parents could be on their own, but how together they were even worse.

Soulmates could cut both ways. It was one of the earliest things he learned.

On Ian’s left ankle, he had an orange mark like a sunburst that matched Lip—his big brother, his best friend. Fiona used to tell them how when Ian was still a toddler, she showed Lip how to hold him. Lip in Fiona’s lap, Ian in Lip’s. Then Ian cried, and Lip knew he was hungry just like that—Fiona said that was when she saw their marks solidify, the color slowly spreading across like a sunset.

“I barely knew anything about soulmates back then,” she’d told them once over a shared bottle of beer, the three of them passing it back and forth as they sat on the couch. Some stupid reality dating show played on the TV, which was how they'd gotten onto the topic in the first place. “Frank and Monica ain’t exactly the picture of what you want outta romance, after all. But I heard some of the kids at school talk about it—brothers and sisters being your first soulmates.” She didn’t have a mark to match any of her kids, as she called them all, but it didn’t matter. Fiona was more like a mom to them than a big sister, anyway.

Ian could feel the faint trace of another mark wrapping around his left wrist, too. Another along his right thigh. Neither had filled in by the time he turned fifteen. Not that he minded—not that it mattered—because who gave a fuck about him besides his family? As long as he could remember, it’d been him and Lip against the world, helping Fiona with each successive younger sibling. Gallaghers took care of their own, after all. They weren’t the only ones to have matching marks, either; Debbie and Carl had them, too, splashes of dark green down the backs of their right legs. Liam of course was still too young for his marks to show up yet, but it wouldn’t be long now.

Fiona always said that romantic marks were bullshit, and Ian found himself agreeing with that more and more. Hell, the only people he knew that had made it work were Kev and Vee, and they seemed to be the exception to the rule. But part of him couldn’t help wondering who his other marks were a match for. He might be a jaded South Side hood rat, but fuck, didn’t everyone wonder now and again? A guy couldn’t help being curious about this sort of thing.

They always did say be careful what you wished for.

[juniperhillpatient]

new chapter of 'the devil you know' :)

this time -

Azula & Katara tell their friends about the return of Ghostface, & begin a dangerous investigation leading to questions about who can be trusted.

[teawiththespleen]

aah fuck i just know theyre going to not do my girl maddy milkovich any narrative justice

[do-angels-dream-of-starry-seas]

My thoughts on honor among thieves:

So yeah, beginning is definitely an exposition dump, but I respect them owning up to it

Bard not doing any kind of magic is so funny. I guess they didn't wanna make him overpowered but like... could've just been a rogue???

Same with druid just doing wild shape the entire time

The cameo of the dnd animated series team in that cage in the center of the maze (I never heard of it so my friends pointed it out to me)

Favorite characters were Simon (lmao me), Xenk (shameless lvl 20 DMPC) and HOLGA (buff lady who should've been buffer :))

Holga, I just loved. I loved her fighting, I loved that she had low int but wasn't stupid, i loved she sings along to the silly little tune cause we expected her to hate it, I loved that she proudly and openly loves Kira, I loved that she clearly has a type

Xenk and Edgin should've kissed

But really I just loved the whole family aspect of the movie

Not even a kiss between the two people who technically got back together!!

Especially with Edgin and Holga who never once change from their sibling dynamic despite being coparents to their daughter cause they do not see each other that way

Overall a great movie, hope they do a sequel or maybe an anthology so we can see more of the world

And XENK IS APART OF THE GROUP!!!!

And him and Edgin kiss :)

[nexility-sims]

𝐍𝐎. 𝟑   ❛ 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 ❜   |   NAKAWE, 2023

❧  𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲  /  𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  /  𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬  /  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

   ❛  Karolina Teague was hardly famous. Her name carried a certain heft among culture critics whose heyday had passed, but she liked the anonymity that came with being washed up. All of her favorite people were has-beens, after all, and she wasn’t ashamed to spend her time reminiscing about days past with them or anyone else who would listen. Today, she welcomed a whole crew of listeners into her Nakawe home—a film crew to be exact, led by a director-producer duo who had known her name well before a previous interviewee mentioned it to them. She wouldn’t be the star of their documentary, but they believed from its inception that the story wouldn’t be complete without her thoughts.

❧ honestly very proud of the scrapbooking !!!! this is basically just shameless exposition, but i am convinced i picked a creative vehicle for it :^) i watched that 90s docuseries on hulu a year ago and this specific story post was born fjdhjf anyway, canonically, no one would be writing or printing in script like that but i am simply NOT that committed to my worldbuilding sdkjfsf consider this whole thing an english language reimagining (^:

𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 & 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 ↓

Karolina took them on a tour of her colorful seaside house, one concluding in a room already set up for their perusal. It was the archive, she explained. This was what they came for; her recollections were valuable, but she had so much more than her own memories. Photographs waited on the tables, and an old television screen teased some scene from exclusive VHS tapes. Karolina plopped down onto a sofa and gestured widely, saying, “Have a look. I’m ready when you are.” 

The director, a woman named Ildaria, picked up a photograph. 

“Can you tell us about her?” 

Karolina beckoned for the photo, and Ildaria walked over to hand it to her. For a moment, she peered at it, keeping everyone in suspense. Finally, she replied, “Sure. What’s she going to do, sue me?”

“Maybe,” a cameraman elsewhere in the room snorted.

“I’ll take the risk,” Karolina laughed. “Look, I don’t know Princess Leonor, but I met her plenty of times. She was at The Den at least half the nights in 1991, for sure. Probably into 1992, but I didn’t really keep track of her comings and goings. Definitely not after 1993.”

The producer, Eilo, held up another photograph. “What’s the story here?” he asked.

Karolina reached for it. Unlike the other photo, this one was a proper candid. There were several people in the frame, but Leonor was at the center, kneeling by a table with her hand draped across Renzo’s thigh as he held her head in his palm and said something beyond the capture of still photography.

“It wasn’t anything formal,” Karolina explained. “Renzo didn’t date anyone in those days, and I don’t think she did either. They liked each other. It was mutual fascination with zero understanding, is how I saw it. They hung out—liked each other’s company. Hot and fast, burned out quick, that’s what it looked like.” She shrugged. “That was Renzo.” 

“And Leonor?” Ildaria asked, having sat down nearby. 

“Like I said,” Karolina began. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “I didn't know her. Seemed like a cool girl. I’m older, mind you. I think she wanted to get a little wild and try new things—this is off the record—and The Den was for her what it was for everyone. You could kick your shoes off. Scream along to your buddy’s new song, have a movie star tell you his woes while he pours your drink, get high in the dressing room and probably be fine—” 

“Did she do that?” Ildaria’s eyes were wide.

Karolina cleared her throat. “No, of course not. Not everyone did! Enough, sure. We all know the quote-unquote horror stories.”

The crew listened, rapt, having stopped flipping through albums and poking around the bookcases, eager to hear something explosive. They had set out to make a documentary about a particular time and place. The Den at the turn of the century was their subject. That glorious decade solidified its place in celebrity culture, to say nothing of its place in music history. The princess was just a footnote in that story. Nonetheless, it was a tantalizing footnote. Most people below a certain age were shocked to hear that she hadn’t been a humorless, buttoned-up bureaucrat her entire life. The idea that someone whose day job involved keeping the country afloat may have once been young and reckless intrigued. That she was adjacent to the salacious stories of sex, drugs, and rock and roll they knew better nearly crossed the line into unbelievable. Yet, people in Uspana also knew their royals had been wrapped up in the glamor of celebrity for decades. Even now, they continued to rub elbows with rock stars, including the one elder princess who was herself a music star. 

“She’s a different person now, clearly,” Karolina continued. She spoke tentatively still but nonetheless addressed what everyone wanted to know. “But, for a time, she was at The Den with everyone else, drinking too much and carrying around a pharmacy in whatever cute purse you had that night. You may remember there was a big Reyes death around then. It’s like—when my mother died in 2009, I lost my shit, too.” 

Karolina shrugged again. “She was having fun. I was doing worse, alright, so I only feel judgmental about it insofar as she’d probably be embarrassed if you asked her about any of it today. Royals are supposed to do their sniffing in private, right, not in a bathroom Renzo forgot to hire someone to clean. She was snobby, but my sense was that she liked pretending she wasn’t—roleplay, you know, transgressing or whatever.” 

Someone coughed. The rifling through materials resumed. Ildaria and Eilo shared a look. 

“You haven’t talked to her since ‘92?” Ildaria asked. Eilo, meanwhile, had pulled out his cell phone and was typing with fast fingers. 

Karolina shook her head. “So, she knew I’d asked Renzo to let me collect photos and bring along my Zenith. I got a weird email in 2000 inquiring about them from someone who worked for her.” She grinned, then added as an aside, “Only one recording, by the way. The Den had a strict no video policy.”

“We’d like to see them sometime,” Ildaria responded. 

Karolina nodded, then shook her head and clarified, “Which—my tapes or the email?” 

Eilo answered without looking up, “Both.”

He finished what he was doing after a moment of quiet, then held his phone up for Ildaria and Karolina to see. “Seems like she’s still in touch with people,” he said.

They leaned forward to view the screen while he swiped at it, then Karolina laughed.  “Okay, maybe she just didn’t like me!”  

While they watched, Eilo moved through a hastily thrown together slideshow of the princess with various people Karolina knew well. Some looked like event photos. Others were captured with long lenses—paparazzi shots that made money but didn’t always generate enough interest if the other person was a comparative nobody. Not everyone had evolved in the last thirty years. Plenty of people who visited the bar during the decade of Renzo’s ownership continued to have flourishing careers. They were, at the time, young and beautiful and painfully unprepared for the lifetime of celebrity ahead of them. That’s what they brought to this place more than anything: their pain, which, being creative types, they eagerly spun into something beautiful and private. 

That’s what The Den gave them. These impossibly talented, dedicated stars created fleeting things for each other and no one else. Bands and dance troupes formed. An endless stream of songs and poetry and performance art kept the bar’s little stage occupied nightly for years. Offstage, people with no reason to meet in the real world bonded in this space of both contrived and undeniable intimacy. For some, the reprieve helped them endure the difficulty of becoming that invariably attended a rise in fame. It was detrimental to others. These were the ones who didn’t evolve—people who gave up their relevance to live forever in this meaningless, generative privacy or people who couldn’t make the choice and lost everything in the process. 

Karolina hadn’t evolved, but she hadn’t died or wanted to die either. From her perspective, what people like the princess and even Renzo himself had done wasn’t evolution. It was more like a revelation. People don’t change, she would tell Eilo and Ildaria later, over dinner, when the conversation had moved far away from the royal footnote. She believed people just uncover deeper truths about themselves, knowingly or unknowingly, and those became harder to conceal once they were exposed.

Have you felt that way before? she asked them. Exposed, like when you break your leg so hard the bone snaps right through your skin? They had. The conversation detoured to childhood misadventures, but Karolina had a point to make. She pulled them back. Some people get comfortable with that feeling and learn how to live in it. Other people, you know, they deny and lie and call it growth. That’s my opinion. I’ve seen it—artists are the worst for it, I swear. Artists who don’t want to be artists anymore? Worse than that. 

Can I say you sound bitter? Ildaria laughed. 

Now, Karolina threw her hands up. She exclaimed, joyful, That’s my truth, baby! I took too many bites of the world, and I’ve been disgusted by it ever since. Some people come out of their mamas malcontent.

Later that night, Eilo was exhausted, but Ildaria’s hand hovered over the light switch with uncertainty. She heaved a big, put-upon sigh, then asked, “Is it bad that I want to give Mencia Cipac a call?”

“Give her a call?” Eilo snorted. “Sure, Mencia Cipac, whose number you totally have, definitely won’t ignore your calls because she, for sure, knows who you are and has endless free time to spare.” He sat up straighter, then added, “No more overloading on projects. You promised. Besides, you don’t wanna poke that bear.”

“Not a bear,” Ildaria retorted. “A jaguar. Roar!”

TRANSCRIPT:

KAROLINA | Have a look. I'm ready when you are.

RENZO (O.S.) | Get that thing out of here, Karolina!

ILDARIA | Can you tell us about her?

KAROLINA | Sure. What's she going to do, sue me? CAMERAMAN | Maybe.

KAROLINA | I'll take the risk.

KAROLINA | Look, I don’t know Princess Leonor, but I met her plenty of times. She was at The Den at least half the nights in 1991, for sure. Probably into 1992, but I didn’t really keep track of her comings and goings. Definitely not after 1993

EILO | What's the story here?

KAROLINA | It wasn't anything formal.

KAROLINA | Renzo didn’t date anyone in those days, and I don’t think she did either. They liked each other. It was mutual fascination with zero understanding, is how I saw it. They hung out—liked each other’s company. Hot and fast, burned out quick, that’s what it looked like. That was Renzo.

ILDARIA | And Leonor?

KAROLINA | Like I said, I didn't know her. Seemed like a cool girl. I’m older, mind you. I think she wanted to get a little wild and try new things—this is off the record—and The Den was for her what it was for everyone. You could kick your shoes off. Scream along to your buddy’s new song, have a movie star tell you his woes while he pours your drink, get high in the dressing room and probably be fine—

ILDARIA | Did she do that?

KAROLINA | No, of course not. Not everyone did! Enough, sure. We all know the quote-unquote horror stories.

KAROLINA | She's a different person now, clearly. But, for a time, she was at The Den with everyone else, drinking too much and carrying around a pharmacy in whatever cute purse you had that night. You may remember there was a big Reyes death around then. It’s like—when my mother died in 2009, I lost my shit, too.

KAROLINA | She was having fun. I was doing worse, alright, so I only feel judgmental about it insofar as she’d probably be embarrassed if you asked her about any of it today. Royals are supposed to do their sniffing in private, right, not in a bathroom Renzo forgot to hire someone to clean. She was always a snob, but I my sense was that she liked pretending she wasn’t—roleplay, you know, transgressing or whatever.

ILDARIA | You haven't talked to her since '92?

KAROLINA | So, she knew I’d asked Renzo to let me collect photos and bring along my Zenith. I got a weird email in 2000 inquiring about them from someone who worked for her. Only one recording, by the way. The Den had a strict no video policy.

ILDARIA | We'd like to see them sometime.

KAROLINA | Which—my tapes or the email?

EILO | Both.

EILO | Seems like she's still in touch with people. KAROLINA | Okay, maybe she just didn’t like me!

ILDARIA | Is it bad that I want to give Mencia Cipac a call?

EILO | Give her a call?

EILO | Sure, Mencia Cipac, whose number you totally have, definitely won’t ignore your calls because she, for sure, knows who you are and has endless free time to spare.

EILO | No more overloading on projects. You promised. Besides, you don’t wanna poke that bear.

ILDARIA | Not a bear. A jaguar. Roar!

[skyfallscotland]

Ok I’m OBSESSED with in too deep. Like embarrassingly obsessed it’s so good. Do you have any upcoming scenes you’re excited for?? Maybe a tease for them?? (I’m shameless) 👀👀😂😂

😭 Thank you so much! I'm so glad people like it because was meant to just be a fun, less-plotty thing haha that's now going to be a novel-length exposition of disability and feelings 💛 Maybe this, from the next chapter:

By the time I’ve had my coffee and I’m more than half-awake, I’m mad enough to actually reply to one of them from the Team USA account. What are they going to do, fire me? I’m not Tavis—I have leverage over my boss.  I thought he was dating that diver…the British one? Someone on instagram asks beneath the photo, to which ‘Team USA’s’ reply is a simple but firm ‘no’. 

[inspector-montoya-fox]

You know sometimes i like using my tumblr as like a brain rot bank? Like a time capsule for thoughts and opinion that cater to no one but everyone is welcome to enjoy and partake. And today i'll be doing just that because i have finally finished The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. If you've been following me for a while you know that this is lowkey monumental because (a) it means that i have officially played all Ace Attorney games, and (b) i have been struggling to finish these two games since their bundled release three years ago. So, i just wanted to share some general thoughts, some tier lists, and feel free to let me know what you think if you read what i have to say!

Ok so, my main takeaway from playing the two games is that... Dr Courtney Sithe is a bad bitch deserving of the same praise as Franziska, Lana Skye, Justine Courtney, Dee Vasquez and Calisto Yew. I genuinely love her so much. Miss Buttplug Hair got her PhD in being a girlboss and i'm so upset she was only in one case. For such a cool character with an amazing design, she was criminally underdeveloped. Same goes for my other fav, Rei Membani. Soon as it was mentioned that Professor Mikotoba and Judge Jigoku were on their way to the UK, i was one hundred percent sure she'd accompany them, and i was ultimately disappointed. To have her right next to Susato on the game's cover art and give her such an amazing takedown of Raiten Menimemo... and then just not have her be anywhere else was such a shame. I need more Dr Sithe and Rei !

The rest of the games' characters were a bit of a mixed bag with some obvious (and some unexpected) stand-outs. Here's my tier list:

Notes:

The biggest surprise that came when i was making this is how high i placed Herlock. I started off hating him so much and then he just suddenly grew on me so quickly, i hadn't even noticed. One of my favourites for sure.

I think we can all collectively agree that we have, at some point in our lives, embodied Pop Windibank... poor guy...

I don't know what Kazuma's deal is. He starts off as Ryunosuke's Mia Fey before um... just becoming a jerk? Why does he have beef with his best friend who was literally mourning him for almost a year? Can't lie though, the bitch looks hot in his white uniform.

Some of the jurors made a bigger impression than actual characters/ witnesses, just by having cool designs. Mainly the green lady, who rightfully earned her spot in the third tier after i found out she's supposed to be a reincarnation of the teacher from PLvsPW !

Eggert Benedict or whatever the fuck that rich breakdancing asshole is called, cannot be a final villain i'm sorry. Seriously, what were they thinking?

The two redheads are such a shameless rip-off of the Skulkins. Two ruffians taking the witness stand for the game's climax AGAIN !? And during the credits, they pose in their prison cell with "Gossip" in the middle the exact same way Eggert and the Skulkins did in the credits of Adventures, like no thank you.

I love how my overall bottom 3 are an annoying str*ight couple and a child.

If Stronghart wasn't in the second (very coveted) tier, he'd be in the bottom of 'like !' because he was ok. It's blatantly obvious he's the big bad from the second he's introduced but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also, i need him and Damon Gant to have a fat titty bounce-off.

Moving on to criticisms, i can't help but feel like the fact that Shu Takumi decided to split his original script into two games only served to hurt the entire project. Because, for starters, each game has a different feel and the two don't match. Adventures is reminiscent of PLvsPW, Takumi's whimsical and eccentric love letter to the UK that hinges heavily on exposition. Resolve, on the other hand, is a bit of a mix between its predecessor and traditional Ace Attorney, its cases focusing more on driving the narrative to its conclusion rather than experimenting on the classic formula (as with the first game). It also echoes aspects of the first Investigations, bringing in diplomatic immunity, international relations, "tracking down and going against the head of the evil organisation" (the Reaper storyline is very similar to the Yatagarasu one). Personally the two vibes don't mesh, even when Resolve tries to latch onto Adventures with Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro, for example.

Then, the pacing in both games is all over the place. Adventures is just so unreasonably and unashamedly long-winded and slow, it's the reason it took me literally three years to get into it. The game repeats the same lines of dialogue again and again until they're made painfully clear, subsequently making the player (or at least me) feel like an idiot who needs to read the same thing 13 times in order to get it. This, coupled with the fact that actual gameplay was almost nowhere to be seen and that progression in the courtroom almost always relied on not pointing out inconsistencies but pressing the witnesses adjacent to the one testifying, made the game such a slog to get through. And once the game started to pick up, it was over before i even knew it and in a very unceremonious fashion no less. In comparison, Resolve is very streamlined, albeit a bit too fast-paced. With the exception of Memoirs, which felt like shameless filler, it's clear that they wanted to waste zero time and crammed so much stuff into the episodes, to the point where it became difficult to keep track of everything going on. Because, keep in mind, the second game was tasked with tying up all the loose threads from the first one.

This leads to my final criticism regarding the split: inconsistencies and unresolved mysteries. I think it reads as careless writing when questions keep sprouting everywhere and their answers are reserved for the final two episodes of the second game. Even Unspeakable, a final case, introduces mysteries tied to the overarching narrative just for them to be shelved until Twisted Karma, leaving the player with a sense of dissatisfaction when the game ends. Not only is it frustrating to keep track of all the unsolved mysteries, a chore which good writing would not expect from the player, but it also has you questioning whether or not some of them will get answered at all. Why was the selection of jurors obviously rigged? Why did Van Zieks stop appearing in court five years prior? Where did he lose his gun in Twisted Karma? Why didn't Stronghart assassinate Madame Tusspells as well? Why is Kazuma fully exonerated after admitting to his involvement in the assassin exchange? I grouped the unresolved mysteries with inconsistencies as one problem because the latter is a result of the former. The majority of mysteries spills over from the first game to the second, giving way to different phrasing, details getting glossed over and the plot's consequences getting ignored. There's a very apparent shift in Gregson's character, for example, going from uncooperative and rigid in Adventures to more forgiving and helpful in Resolve, all the while his misconduct from Unspeakable is seemingly forgotten and met with zero ramifications. There's also the government's secret message about the assassin exchange Herlock deciphered at the end of the first game, which sets up the second game nicely but then doesn't get mentioned until the very last day in court. Like, come on now. It feels like Resolve continues Adventures' story without wanting to acknowledge it because, in the grand scheme of things, McGilded and Eggert Benedict seem to not matter at all. And then there's Memoirs, which... Inconsistency City, honestly. This episode's lack of impact on the overall story allowed it to be literally anything else. It's such a bizarre choice to have it be something which only achieves in taking away from the first Clouded Kokoro case! Like ok, i can get behind it being a case no one wanted to talk about so it didn't make the first game. I can turn a blind eye to the inconsistent character development and timeline, whatever. But it absolutely drives me nuts that, for an Ace Attorney game where the murders are explained in full detail, they couldn't stay consistent with the direction Olive Green was walking in. Hate. Loathe. Get it away from me.

That pretty much covers it in terms of complaints, because otherwise i enjoyed my playthrough quite a bit actually. I know i've just spent like 3 mega-sized paragraphs complaining but the games have great elements as well. The Deduction dances are easily the best thing about the gameplay, especially when you didn't see them coming. They were so much fun to play, very animated and cartoony with amazing banter, and effortlessly accelerated the investigation segments. Equally, i loved Judicial Findings. Undoubtedly my favourite part of the courtroom sections and a welcome change of pace. I tended to stall a lot because the jury's music fucks so hard. While on the topic of what i liked, Ryunosuke and Susato's chemistry rivals what Phoenix and Maya have going on. Susato leaving at the end of Adventures was a genuinely effective point in the plot, even though i knew she'd be back.

Now, let's take a closer look at the episodes. Here's my overall tier list of all Ace Attorney cases, the Great Ace Attorney ones being highlighted in yellow:

Notes:

Blossoming Attorney gobbled the rest of the girls right up (a court-only episode, no less). They gave us Susato gameplay, what more can you ask for? An amazing case. Gay Women in STEM !!

Return kinda strikes a nice balance between the different feels of the two games i mentioned before. You've got exposition and world-building with the whole Great Exhibition, turn of the century mad science thing, but also classic Ace Attorney with tracking down Drebber (very Matt Engarde's apartment) and Madame Tusspells as just some witness (very Lisa Basil). A very fun case right before the clusterfuck of mysteries ensues. Also, Dr Courtney Sithe !!!!! Girl you're such a star and you don't even know it spit in my mouth

Was tempted to put Unspeakable in the second tier but i think it's earned its high placement on its own merit and not because of personal bias. It's a great case. Maybe not for a final one, but it's still great. It tries its hardest to tie up some loose ends before the game ends and that's worth something.

Resolve of Ryunosuke is objectively better than Twisted because i could not give less of a fuck about the purple guy's headache and Espella Cantabella selling firecrackers, but they're both very much one single package. Extra points to Resolve of Ryunosuke though for having its villain sit at the judge's seat. That was neat.

The two Clouded Kokoros are giving stinky Bri ish culture with the whole apartment building background, like Ribena, bad teeth, rusty Union Jack, horseshit breath at the pub, you awrite luv? Slander, i'm sorry.

Slightly unrelated but when i was making this tier list it became so obvious that Investigations 2 is the crown jewel of the franchise. Like it has two cases in the top 5, how can you even argue against that?

Arriving to a conclusion, i'd say both games belong on the same level as Apollo Justice: a blend of good and bad. My experience playing the Ace Attorney franchise has followed this trend of attaching each game to a pivotal moment in my life. I finished the first game while i was still a soldier, Justice for All during my first year at university, Dual Destinies during Covid lockdown, Investigations while helping my parents set up their shop one summer. So i know i'll look back at playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles right after handing my dissertation very fondly. In other words, despite not quite sticking the landing, it's left a very pleasant aftertaste. Thank you for reading!

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode: --This was a great episode to notice during the OP that in the clip right after Muichiro throws the sword and Tanjiro goes rushing forward in a strike presumably with that sword, you can see Yoriichi in the back lined up next to Tanjiro--almost like the pose Tanjiro strikes with Pillars in the OP! (Hmm, how are they going to do that for the Pillar Training Arc?)

--Kanamori, in some not very well-placed exposition, says that Tanjiro asked him to be understanding of Muichiro, and that is why as Muichiro's new swordsmith, he looked into who used to smith his swords. First of all, when? We only saw Tanjiro interact with Kanamori the day or two before this all goes down, but Kanamori already has Muichiro's new sword ready and stashed away in the same shop where Haganezuka is busy putting his life on the line for polishing a sword even before Gyokko shows up. The first we see of Tanjiro even hearing of Kanamori being responsible for Muichiro's sword is when Muichiro woke him up maybe an hour or so ago. This means Tanjiro had to have known this and had an opportunity to talk to Kanamori long before he even witnessed Muichiro in the Swordsmith Village. Perhaps Tanjiro brought it up as general advice to Kanamori who expressed feeling pressure for being assigned to a Pillar, and Tanjiro just wanted to be encouraging to him based on what little impression he had of Muichiro at the Pillar Meeting and whatever he heard from Shinobu (and Shinobu did tell Tanjiro Muichiro's name, at the very least). But also, perhaps Kanamori started this endeavor to understand Muichiro after completing his first sword for him, because Tanjiro only said this to him yesterday? In which case, was this truly a matter of Tanjiro seeing that Muichiro is in need of that kindness, or was it Tanjiro throwing his hands up and saying, "I don't know what to make of him, you try!"

--And that, friends, is how you can dig too deep into canon to find fanfic ideas.

--Kotetsu-kun truly is a brave kid whose response to seeing his friends in pain was to attack instead of run away. I love how close-knit everyone in the village is, they all know (and recognize!) each other by name. --Muichiro is the kind of person who would walk around a modern art museum saying, "I could do that." Kotetsu would be the one saying, "but you didn't." Gyokko, of course, is the worst of modern artists. There must be a modern day AU which Gyokko leans a bean in Chicago and Muichiro starts a "paint the bean pink" event.

--Gyokko deserves some credit here for his cleverness! Although what Muzan would have preferred is Gyokko finding Ubuyashiki or the blue spider lilies, Gyokko has honed in the Corp's weapons and focused his efforts on eliminating those. Maybe he was merely lucky to have found a clue about the village, but he developed a technique, I assume specifically, to deprive swordsmen of their Breath.

--Being taunted for having "a dull life" and an existence with no meaning sure adds weight to that "I was born to be happy" statement. --Kimetsu Academy answered some of my wishes by having Uzui-sensei and Gyokko hang out and talk art, but what I really want is to see Shinobu see those fishes.

--I love the BGM and sound effects for Love Breath. Mitsuri is just so special, you guys. I love hearing her in this Taisho Secret showing off her sword skills to Tanjiro & Nezuko, and a sound that lives in my head rent free is the the sound she made in the previous episode's Kimetsu Academy short as she falls to her knees. --One of my favorite background characters in this whole series is the guy who tried to protect Tecchin by charging at the fish monster with a naginata. ----First, naginata. I have bias. ----Second, such upstanding character! That is not a man who runs away even when the swordsmen have been slain. ----Also, while Tecchin and the other guy who got his head bumped are shameless in fishing for Mitsuri's care and attention, this is the guy who had the view up her skirt and who made no mention of it whatsoever. ----That might be because he was so rightfully distracted by the sight of her sword instead, and he gave us some smoother exposition with which to appreciate it. --Another random thing, but I love the nighttime lighting in this season! The BGM in general feels more experimental and sometimes takes me out of it (opposed to how the Yuukaku spin plunged me deeper into it), but when it slaps, it slaps, like on the new variation as Tanjiro attains a lightsaber Red Blade. Also also, there are a lot of characters in this one with peculiar and kind of old-timey ways of speaking (Kanamori, Tecchin, Hantengu's clones, etc.) that are still distinct from other characters (like Rengoku). I don't know how much of it comes across in translation, but my ears enjoy the extra characterization.

--I love--and the first time I watched this, my friends loved it too--how Nezuko and Tanjiro take turns carrying each other when they lose consciousness. It keeps the pacing fast and desperation high, while also illustrating their bond really well. What also gets me is how Tanjiro frets and tells her to let go of the sword because her fingers will get cut. It doesn't feel like a big concern because we know she's already lost a forearm and being impaled through through the torso and neck tonight, but any reasonable brother doesn't want to see his sister's fingers cut off, much less sliced with a sword at all.

--I love how Sekido is the only demon around here whose perspective is worth anything

--Quickly jumping to the end of the episode to note how we see the base of Aizetsu's neck and the top of his head still intact, so that implies that Genya munched on the bottom half of his head. In general I'm not much into ship content, but I know there is a fandom for Aizetsu and Genya out there, and I do find the idea of it being one-sided infatuation on Aizetsu's part an amusing premise. With that in the back of my mind, I could also imagine Aizetsu mistakenly thinking Genya was going to make out with him and how quickly and shockingly he'd have his hopes dashed. --Okay, so, HINOKAMI KAGURA WITH A RED BLADE AND THE MARK, TIME TO DIAL UP THE ANIMATION

--And they do

--And it's so sad Haganezuka doesn't get to see it --Like, after how much the fight with Rui blew up and the internet collectively lost their minds, we tend to just expect this from Ufotable, so the beauty they accomplish doesn't always stick out because they have to work harder and harder to stand out from what they've already given us, but this attack on Karaku, Urogi, and Sekido is a thing of wonder and it is highly worth appreciating.

--The lighting! The fluid motion and changing camera angles! But also the ability to show changes in expression, and to differentiate Tanjiro in the marked state from his usual state.

--But, again, the timeline has me in knots. Tanjiro says he was "always" thinking about that last strike on Gyutaro and how it felt different, but when would he have had time to do that, since he's spend so much of his wakeful life, like, fighting for his life against a mechanical doll? He's of course had downtime, but given the Taisho Secret in the hand-out at the early Mugen Ressha showings, I suspect comatose Tanjiro spend a lot of time analyzing and replaying that moment and doing image training. --On the first watch, when Tanjiro is thinking about how his will is tied with that of everyone around him, and even if he can't do it, someone else will take over for him, it's easy to get wrapped up in "THAT'S RENGOKU" or "this is foreshadowing all the hands in that truly final battle with Muzan!" but, I can't wait to think back to this scene when he's talking to Giyuu in the next season. Giyuu is the first person he thinks of, but also, Giyuu's hand is absent from among the ones on Tanjiro's back.

[shearlin]

Chapter 1: What is magic?

Word count: 4568

Next >>

For the purpose of this talk, I will be making a point of distinguishing between magic and magical energy. Usually, I don’t bother, they are both commonly referred to as ‘magic’ and you can figure out which is which from context clues. Magical energy is what fuels magic. It is its power and what defies its most important traits. But, that energy has its own characteristics and behaviours, its own rules and functions that are completely separate from what scholars call ‘magic’, and I won’t talk about any of that right now. Maybe later, if you're still interested. So, what is magic? Magic is a description of the entire existence that can be accessed, read and modified, if you know how. Magic is a compilation of everything that was, is and will be. It’s a system of symbols forming different patterns that can be used to access the reality itself. Basically, magic is the most complex, universal and powerful language in the world. Let me explain

What is magic? Where does it come from? What is magical energy and what is the alignment of the nine heroes of courage?

This is the Shameless Exposition of the Theory of Magic.

Legend couldn't hold his laughter any longer which earned him side-eyes from some of the others that were absorbed in the current discussion, but it wasn't his fault!

How could he not laugh? Their takes were absolutely wild, how did they even come up with that stuff?

“Anything you want to share?” asked Four, some uncharacteristic irritation hiding in his voice.

Smithy has been in a bad mood for a while now, snappish and distracted, which was partially why he and over half of the rest of the Chain ended up talking at length about magic. It seemed to help him forget for a moment about whatever was troubling him and, as time progressed, he became more and more involved in the discussion. Then the heroes started throwing in their theories about what magic even is and where does it come from, and the conversation turned from sharing experiences to competition in making up the most unhinged of takes in no time.

For Legend, who decided to just listen and not contribute, it was an absolutely hilarious ride from start to finish, long before the subject turned to magic. This whole ordeal started from talking about different kinds of oranges.

“No, not really,” he shook his head, trying to hide his grin, “You're having fun, it would be a shame to bring you all down to earth.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Wait!” Hyrule suddenly yelled with excitement, squeezing his way to the front of their group where Legend walked with Time. “You know, don’t you? You actually know the answer!”

Legend was baffled by the sudden outburst. Yes? He did know? And Hyrule knew this too, he often asked about lands the other heroes had been too that he hadn't seen yet, and so Legend ended up equally often recalling his time on Labrynna. That included mentioning his studies.

“Well- yeah, but-” Hyrule knew and so did other heroes, but they didn’t ask him, so clearly they just wanted to have fun theorising. Right?

“Hold on, what?” Twilight interrupted, but seemed too shocked to continue that thought. 

Wild was not. “We've been cracking our heads at it for over an hour now and you just stood there with answers to all of our problems?” he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

“More like two hours,” Warriors threw in quietly, mostly to himself, “If this road won’t reach any town soon, we should take a break.”

“Not cool, Vet, not cool”, Wind shook his head with his best approximation of a disappointed face.

“First of all,” Legend scoffed, snapping out of his confusion “No, I don’t have all the answers. I learned a lot of theory of magic, that’s true, but it was by talking to witches or other magic users who would agree to teach me and by reading some old dusty books. I didn’t finish any actual school . You know that,” he added at the end because it felt like they needed a reminder of that fact.

“Okay, but consider,” said Hyrule, “that’s still way more theoretical knowledge than even I have. I was taught how to use magic, not how it works . Outside of the most basic concepts, I only have practical knowledge that I figured out by myself as I went.”

“Yeah, sure, but” Legend continued unconvinced, “I doubt any of you want to be bored to death,” he waved them off and turned back forward.

No normal person would want to sit through a long-ass lecture about the theory of magic. Legend would know. He spent long hours convincing some of his teachers that yes, he is a teenager and a warrior but he is indeed interested in this subject.

He took a few good steps before he realised that even Time stopped walking and was watching him with an amusement expression.

“What?”

It was Warriors who broke off from the group after a brief moment to come closer to him, “Legend, Veteran, Link, my brother of the sword and in spirit-” the captain put a hand on his shoulder, “-You. Are an idiot.”

Legend rolled his eyes and moved to shove Warriors off, but the soldier didn’t let him.

“They were discussing this for hours . They want a lengthy complicated answer. They want to be ‘bored to death’, as you put it, because they want to know. Hell, after listening to them uttering the words ‘magic micropoop in your blood’, I want you to know. Please .” Something desperate flashed in his eyes, saying ‘ I need something to purge it from my memory ’, but it was gone too fast to bring attention to it. “Besides, you don’t have to believe me. Ask them yourself.”

Legend raised his eyebrow in doubt but as he glanced to the side, every hero was nodding in confirmation.

He looked at them more and more confused by the second, but when he couldn’t sense anything insincere in them, he could not hide his surprise.

“Wait, really?”

“Yes, really! We’ve been going in circles for ages!” Shouted Wind, throwing hands in the air.

Oh, right. For a moment there, Legend forgot he was surrounded by people who were just as weird and curious as he was. It was still such a bizarre thought.

“Well… in that case…”

Read the rest on Ao3!

[lalazeewrites]

What are your personal favorite Gallavich fics?

OKAY, BUCKLE IN!

I actually answer this fic and Tumblr like glitched and deleted it and I was crushed about it, but now I'm back. Ready to tackle this again!

First off, I have 90 Gallavich fics bookmarked. So let's start with the fact that I have a lot of fics that I LOVE and I'm going to link you right here to my Gallavich Bookmarks, should you want to look. I didn't add to my list any purely smutty fics and I have A LOT of amazing ones Bookmarked.

That being said, here are my personal standouts. I'm NOT putting these in order of how much I like them, because I would simply die on the spot under that kind of pressure.

BELOW THE READ MORE: 25 FIC RECS & SHORT RAVE REVIEWS

Life, or Something by @palepinkgoat

This fic encapsulates a lot of things that I crave in a fic that is designed specifically for my tastes. Personal journeys that begin rocky and work toward healing. Dark themes that are treated in a very matter-of-fact way instead of rolling in angst. The growth of mental health. You'll probably see those themes a lot in the fics I love. I also have a fascination with all things death, as someone who has almost died many times and who struggles with a chronic illness. This fic is so. . .beautiful? Articulate. FEELING. I love everything about it.

Belladonna by devovitsuasartes

Oh, THIS. Oof. Okay, this is fantasy HOW I WANT IT. So intricate, so unique, so embedded into the world-building that isn't word-dumped on us with exposition, but SHOWN to us. Witches and forced familiars, complicated family dynamics, rough pasts, coming full circle between the beginning and the end. Emotional journeys, coming back from tough experiences, PINING. This is the fantasy for ME.

Is There Somewhere by andchaos

Soulmates! Soulmarks! Mute Ian who is really fucking funny and sweet and Mickey who doesn't think he has a soulmate because he has no 'first words said to me' mark. I love the dance, I love their rapport, I love how warm this fic is. I've read it several times for comfort.

You Can Bite Me by @goodkwuestion

It's easy as breathing to love all of this author's fics, but this is the one for me, and it has nothing to do with the fantasy vampire aspect. This is one of the only fics that has made me cry. I don't cry from fics, almost ever. The write in this goes from hilarious, witty, clever, and sharp, and then swoops you into appreciating the beauty and sanctity of life, traversing the journey of loss and grief, embracing the passage of time, welcoming love into your life, and simply embracing what it means to be human. This fic touched me in ways I'll never be able to express without a five page essay.

Etherized Against The Sky by Snarfle

A canon-divergent story from 1x09 onward. I couldn't put this into words if I tried, because it is EVERYTHING. Everything that I could ever want in a canon compliant type of fic. Holy shit, does this make me ache. It explores so many facets of their growth, mental health, self-acceptance, found family, rebuilding blood family, and learning how to live in the world of Shameless, but this time, thriving. A complete work of art.

You make me feel human by Dragona

Listen. LISTENNN. Are you listening? Anything that is considered a 'dark' AU is going to be my jam. Anything that dips its toe or severed foot into Hannibal or Murder Husbands type worlds are not just up my alley, but they're leading right up to my fucking house and knocking on the door. This is it, folks! This is the one! No one did it like this fic did it! PLUS: A happy ending? Bitch, I'm on the ground.

My Nine Lovers by @annatrow

While we're talking kiss kiss bang bang gun boyfriends, let's just slap this fic right down here, because holy fuck, I have read it at least three times. The pining? The smut? The secrets? SEXY MURDER BOYFRIENDS TURNED HUSBANDS??? Yeah, honey, I'm here in the front row with my little #1 fingie! My Bookmark comment says "This was so fucking clever and reverent and heartening and joyful."

The Mask of Insanity by @annatrow

Yeah yeah, I am trying to pick only one per author, but I simply cannot with this one. It's so fucking gritty and smart and sharp and emotional. Full of depth, character growth, strange life coincidences, bad boys and good guys and where they fall in between together. I'm big on fics that make you fall down, get scraped up real good, then pick you up by the armpits and say, bitch, we're got more to go!

Conflict of Interest by @thisdivorce

Everyone and their mom knew this was coming. It has everything I crave in a fic. Exceptional characterization. Deeply flawed, real humans living through real life events. The struggles of being queer and unsupported, specifically within the trans community. Journeys through mental health and the pitfalls of navigating the world when you don't see it as clearly as others might. Tearing and screaming out of the confines you've built around yourself, even if they're comfortable and safe, but knowing it's no longer right for you. This fic as everything and more and I've read it three times now because it fills my heart.

(And since this author is possibly probably my fav ever in this fandom, check out WIPs Reckoner and Change Like Shifting Shadows because their writing speaks to my pain and love on a bone deep level.)

Burden of Proof by DodgerBear

Okay, I really fucking like crime fics. Whether on the good side, bad side, or grey side, I love crime fics. This one is soooooo good, and I LIVE for the pining, the draw between them, the SPICE. Please! This is so fucking well done! Whip smart and sexy!

(and shout out to WIP by the same author, Quatervois, for which I will wait an eternity to update, I don't care, go read it NOW.)

Wild West Ian and Mickey by 09cityskylights

Always always always, I will be invested in Western AUs. Any fandom, anywhere, any time. I love for Westerns and this author does it so perfectly. I fucking adore this journey and I can't recommend it enough.

Can't Figure You Out by Crimson_Bebop

If I'm going to pick one office AU from the lot (and there's so many good ones, check out this post for more), it's gonna be this. It's nerve-wrecking, hot as hell, an emotional rollercoaster. You're rooting for both of them so badly, but they both require different but equally important things in their lives, and finding that middle ground is MESSY.

Dancing After Death by @squidyyy23

Oh man. Oh shit. I don't know where or hot to start, because this combines two of my fav things, Sons of Anarchy with Shameless. It combines them, yes, but more important, this is completely it's own beast with an incredibly detailed timeline of events. It's hot as all HELL, it's gritty, it's real, it's loving and tender and difficult and highly charged with emotion and struggle. LIVING FOR IT. I have read this three times.

Teenagers Scare The Living Shit Out Of Me by Mellow_Yellow

Oh hey, we're back at the Lala Loves Murder & Crime Show, and yeah, this one is FULL of it. It's so fucked up. It's so well written. The character growth is fucking A+, the murder reveal is exceptional, the mystery is FRAUGHT WITH DANGER. Guys! It's so fucking GOOD!

Teenage Dirtbag by @celestialmickey

Hah. . .I have read this three times. I'll never have read it enough times. Ian is 17 in 1999 here and I was 12 at the time, so everything this fic speaks to speaks of my entire adolescence and I just. Deeply cherish every moment. I savor every chapter of slow build. I revel in their victories. I sing along to all of their songs that I already know by heart, I wiggle in my seat to the Spotify soundtrack, I live for the vingettes of their happy ending. This fic is so magicl and wias written with such love and care.

you'll never see us again by @spoonfulstar

Okay okay okay, listen to me. Yes, we ALL love Intro to Quantum Dating by this author. I fucking adore it. I open it up at random chapters just to read and make myself smile. But THIS FIC??? THIS ONE??? You have got to be kidding me. I cried. I fucking yearned. I hurt, I hurt so bad down to my toes, and I smiled when things went right, and I teared up when it didn't, and I hoped and prayed for a happy ending, and yes I got one that was fulfilling and beautiful and poignant. Did the fact that I am a kidney transplant recipient play into my deep-seeding feelings about this fic? Absolutely. Do I think everyone should read this fic to grasp what exceptional storytelling looks like? BIG TIME.

Solid Skies and Slate-Blue Earth Below by @sentimentalspiders

This is one of the weirdest fucking fics I"ve ever read and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Best alien!Ian! Exceptional, fascinating, vivid writing style! The narrative is articulated in such an ethereal, out-of-the-box way that is perfectly fits a story that is about an alien and a very lost man. It's SOOO COOL.

Brand Spanking New by J_Q

I don't know what to tell you. Micky gets sent to a fuckin' retreat when he gets professionally spanked (by Ian) to fix his horrible behavior. He gets out of there and then he and Ian start a very detailed BDSM relationship. This is SOOO my wheelhouse of JOY, but if it is not yourself, y'know uh. I mean, I still recommend it anyway. It's so wildly delightful and hot as FUCK.

That's a Wrap by @crossmydna

Am I biased because this was written for me as a gift? Shut the fuck up, of course I am. But also, no, because well before Cross took on prompts, they were working on The Menagerie which is in my top five favorite Gallavich fics of all time, and I read it all the time AND YOU SHOULD TOO. Anyway, back to this fic. What can I say, it's EVERYTHING I WANT. Actor AUs! Meet Ugly, the hottest smut imaginable, banter that's sharp and strong, badass Ian & Mickey, everything everything everything.

The Stargazer by crazynadine

Hey yeah, hi, welcome to my Daddy Kink. There's a lot of it. Let me show you around, its got scrappy heart of gold sex worker Mickey, it's got age difference bearded and jaded by life Ian, it's got panties and road side motels, and secrets, jealousy, and hot hot hot smut, like holy shit. But if daddy kink is not your jam, then y'know. . .ahem.

The Question of Normal by blue_newman

Ian is a prison counselor and Mickey is in prison. The way that I LIVE for Ian breaching any of his professional protocols to help Mickey (this goes for so many fics in my bookmarked fics) is unholy, but how about you five me a fucking break okay. I just like it when they break the rules, as they should, because this is Shameless LOL. But seriously, this is so thoughtful and heartening and left me feeling really fucking right in the world after I read it.

Well, I hope this helped! This is only about a fifth of my Bookmarked fics, and I wanted to write about SO MANY MORE. Anyone is always welcome to ask me to rave about fics, I am always here for it lol.

I said this in the begining, but I have bookmaked A LOT of smut fics that I think are exceptional works, so I suggest you filter my Bookmarks by works under 10,000 words and you're gonna find 'em all.

[sl-vega]

✧Sticking to the Script✧-Prologue

⋆｡°✩ Prologue-A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now

"I just don't think we'll work out anymore"

You choked back a sob as you stormed out of the restaurant, those words still ringing in your ears.

"I've been seeing someone else."

You continue to blink back tears as you tried to block those words out.

"You aren't actually surprised-are you?"

Surprised would be an understatement you thought bitterly.

Two years. Two fucking years of being together.

"And for what?" you told yourself as you sobbed, some tears escaping. You didn't even know where you were going, you just wanted to be far, far, away from him.

You pulled out your phone to message Lyney

You put your phone back into your purse. Tears and raindrops trickling down your face.

You leaned against the outer wall of the tea house. The downpour was heavy and you could feel your dress cling to your body from the water. You found some shelter by a tea house, but it didn't make any difference, your feet felt numb in the fancy heels you had put on for your date, and your makeup that your friends had helped you with was all messed up from your tears.

You stared at the busy street, at the many cars rushing by, you prayed that Lyney would show up soon, you just wanted to escape.

This time, you didn't hold back your sobs you let them all out. Your vision was blurry from your tears, your head hung low and the tears fell down to the side walk.

Suddenly you felt the rain stop.

You turned your head to your side and saw a boy around your age holding an umbrella over your head. He was dressed in semi-formal attire. He looked familiar. Where have I seen him before

"Sorry, I just noticed you crying when I walked by." he said as he gave you a gentle smile, still holding the umbrella over your head. You whispered your thanks to him.

"Xingqiu!"

The boy turned around after hearing someone call out to him. He held your wrist and placed the umbrella in your hand. "I think you'll need this more than me." he told you as he turned around.

"I hope that whatever you're going through gets better"

He gave you another smile before running through the rain "I'm coming!" you heard him yell as he ran towards the source of the first voice.

You felt your face flush as he left, it was a brief moment of bliss before you remembered why you were out here in the rain, before you remembered what just happened. Before you remember your boyfriend of two whole years had just confessed to cheating on you.

Archons, I'm pathetic

You thought to yourself, you felt like you were going to start sobbing again. Then, a familiar car pulled up.

"(Y/N)!"

You heard Lyney call your name, he quickly got out of the car. He was holding a red towel and he handed it to you. "What happened? Why isn't Chaoxi with you?" he asked, along with many other questions that you couldn't bother to remember.

Your eyes were still red and puffy from crying.

"He-" you tried to muster out some words but you started sobbing again. Lyney pulled you into a hug, placing the towel around your shoulders, and taking the umbrella you were given earlier.

He led you into the car, opening the door for you. "You don't have to talk about it now." he said as he wiped a tear off your cheek. You nodded, as you stepped into the vehicle, fastening your seatbelt.

As he started the car, he placed his hand yours, he looked you in the eye and said "It'll be okay."

You looked out the window and thought

I hope you're right

additional notes:

-prologue out FINALLY

-ik it's a tad boring but i got to set the scene

-in case y'all didn't pick up on my shameless exposition, let me summarize this chapter for ya:

-chaoxi is y/n's boyfriend and he just confessed to cheating on her (on their 2-year anniversary no less!)

-chaoxi is actually a character in game, he's an npc in liyue that's dating three girls at the same time

-yes xingqiu giving y/n his umbrella is a reference to that one mlb scene

-you can't write a romance story without including smth like that

-lyney supremacy fr fr

-this chapter title is actually a reference to the song "A little fall of rain" from the musical les miserables

-ty to @freyao7 for proofreading this 4 me <3

masterlist

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✧Sticking to the Script✧

Pairing: Xingqiu x FEM! Reader

Genre: fake dating, strangers to lovers, slow burn, fluff, angst (?), high school smau, modern smau

⋆｡°✩-Synopsis: Xingqiu just got entered into a special writing contest, the type that's invite only, the theme this year is love, the only problem is that he has zero romantic experience. but he really wants to prove himself as a writer. meanwhile, you just found out that your boyfriend cheated on you, and you need to show him that you're 100% over him, the only problem is that there's no way you can get an actual boyfriend that quickly. clearly, the solution to both of your issues is to fake date each other. it shouldn't be hard for an actor such as yourself, all you need to do is stick to the script.

(OPEN) Taglist: @freyao7, @thatoneswordgirl, @sn1perz, @latay7, @esmetrees, @nmriki0, @help-whatdoimakemyusername, @httpsrenren, @cupid-spams, @aixaingela, @kaitfae, @luvkvni, @danhenglovebot

[trainwrecksys]

ok!!!!!!!! i am!!!!!!! going to just say it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! long long post ahead!!!!!!!!!

yes i look like an out of touch stan with a victim complex for one character when i draw no one but bentham in my fanart and completely ignore everyone else to feel sorry for him and yes i am aware and no i dont know if anyone else sees this in me or im just paranoid but bro i am annoyed with myself !!! i hate how stannish i am sometimes because yes bentham had every reason to be called evil but yeah i had a good few reasons to have a complete breakdown when i read that in the book !!!!!!!1 too much writing under the cut about a lot of stuff that is in my head and needs to get out for better or for worse idk

i have made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement and i do not expect to be forgiven but genuinely the way me being a stupid shameless stan can come off to others even subconsciously is actually important because it makes me look like someone who would see a situation like the bentham siblings' in real life and side with the STRAIGHT WHITE MALE who has made more than mistakes and hurt people in moments of heightened emotion (end of library of souls)- but like not in defense of bentham for ONCE IN MY LIFE everyone feels emotions everyone gets hurt and he had a right to not be perfect after everything he went through but that doesnt mean hurting people is the course of action and bro i have completely ignored that and skirted around it for two years and IM NOT GONNA KEEP APOLOGISING FOR MAKING THIS TOO LONG BECAUSE IT BLEEDS INTO REAL LIFE AND I REALISE HOW MUCH OF A STUCK UP DICK I COULD BE NOT ONLY ABOUT THIS BUT IN GENERAL LIFE AFTER I READ THE BOOKS AND GAINED AN ATTACHMENT TO BENTHAM

the stuff im talking about is honestly mainly between me myself and i and most of the art i post is him either chilling or feeling a bit sad but the way i completely ignore miss peregrine's issues and betrayal to focus on how oh so hurt and betrayed myron was like there was no reason he was exiled

like yes years in a big mansion with three people to keep him company in the middle of devils acre with no way to resolve his trauma can do shit to someone but what about years feeling his sisters guilt, BASIL????? what about how she mustve felt after both her brothers DIED due to their own hubris???????????? what about how she felt she was a bad sister when she literally had to be like their mother with all the baggage she had then actually mother children while thinking her slightly better brother might have been getting better with him saying he was gonna give them info on caul only to see him SIDE WITH CAUL when he had just done something that COULD HAVE HELPED HIS CAUSE and then spitefully capture her and lead them into the mouth of hell OH MY GOD

and how jacob and emma had to deal with his bullshit being all "lets talk over tea!" and waiting for when it was right in the exposition to tell them who he fucking was, then telling them he BASICALLY KILLED JACOBS GRANDPA while giving excuses and them finding out later on that hE KEPT THE SUUL FOR HIMSELF?????? i made some bullshit reason up why he did that for my headcannons but lets be real the only reason they could have at least imagined was that he was planning on using it in the library. the information betrayed them either way and to alma again it was only a stab in the gut because he hurt a guy who was basically her son

overall hes not some aesthetic victimised pookie bear hes a more than flawed man who only did some things to mend his image and cant be excused for what he did and this whole post was basically me shouting at myself

[blorbocedes]

footnote in someone else's happiness

E, 4.6k, galex (background chalex)

infidelity, complicated relationships, unreliable narrator, character study, the misogyny is the point, pwp except it's exposition with some sex

summary:

George's wife has filled their flat with chintz. To keep it real Alex fucks him on the floor.

Alternatively;

George can access a shameless naked ambition that blinds Alex to look at. You're not supposed to want to marry the social climbing leech, and he's not supposed to admit he is one.

[transingthoseformers]

Breeding Shockwave anon here I had to divide in two cus it got so long :') i had to put a lot of exposition for things to be in character im sorry @_@ (also looked up ladybug conception just cus I can't get rid of TFP Shockers being an half insecticon it just feels logical

A TFP AU I have (as an excuse for my sins) is that because the omegalock is no longer operable and the Allspark is deep in space, Becauseprimus' creative ability was stretched so thin and the planet is so badly damaged, when the Allspark is retrieved it can only slowly heal the planet, but is unviable for creating newsparks now The remaining cybertronians on earth unknowingly adapt to have reproduction methods like humans (this is even a thing in G1 with the Insecticons that I think has been forgotten cus I've never seen anything like that anywhere so why not bring it back through shameless excuses for robot smut? :3) No one noticed until Shockwave comes in the planet and scans himself one day for routine maintenance. the scanner shows that something is different in his frame and he investigates what these new components are Shockwave completes his investigation and does scans on everyone he can (Knockout and Soundwave being the easiest with a simple excuse of inspiration for vehicon upgrades). He realises everyone he scanned has similar equipment as him and makes a theoretical guess that anyone who'd been on earth has this equipment, cus Skylynx and Darksteel don't have the anomalous equipment while practically everyone else including Predaking does Shockwave looks into the human internet to understand whether such equipment is present in human biology and he delves into the rabbit hole of reproduction and sexual pleasure Shockwave uses his newly dubbed spike and valve more often as the thought of creating life within your body entices his thicc science brain When he FINALLY tells Optimus, ratchet, Knockout and Megatron of the interesting news (with Soundwave as record keeper for this interaction) theyre all perplexed and confused and unsure BUT once Shockers reminds them of the fact that the allspark is weak and no newsparks are yet to be made they reconsider the idea and an agreement is made that a test is done to see the results of this discovery Shockwave ask Soundwave as tribute for the first ever trial of coupling and Soundwave accepts with no hesitation (which Megatron is sus of) shockwave is Soundwave's first ever handjob and Soundwave gets to leave early while Shockwave takes the liquid that came from his new piece Soundwave is too curious and he tunes in to the lab's security camera to see Shockwave three knuckles deep and moaning for is life in a secluded part of the lab it takes a couple decacycles (weeks) but soundwave points it out that Shockwave has been acting out of the usual (and just the previous cycle he tried to take a bite of out of a vehicon) so he does scans according to human research in pregnancy and lo and behold he's concieved three sparklings

In this case it was Unicron who saved their species tbh

Shockwave finds the internet, and his life will never be the same ever again

Megs is right to be suspicious of that but hey at this point it's beneficial

Fdshkhhbj dIDN'T EXPECT THAT DID HE

This has potential to be quite interesting as hell

[bettathanyou]

Confessions Of Cedric

A shameless self insert gender neutral reader x Cedric the Sorcerer fic. It's an AU that takes place some time after Cedric is pardoned for his actions against the kingdom, but before he gained everyone's trust back.

There isn't a lot of exposition because I was too lazy to write it.

I'll post the rest when I feel like it, but I think this is still readable even without full context. All you need to know is that there's a big misunderstanding due to... Cedric's skeletons in the closet, and both of you got into a nasty fight/breakup. Is there any other Cedric lovers out there anymore to even read this???? Also I'm putting this song here cuz I think the main theme is a good visual for cedrics frame of mind/feelings in this situation

Yes I cried

Signed truly smitten,

-Betta Fish

"After everything we've confessed to each other about our suffering, you really thought I wouldn't understand?" Your eyes bore into Cedric's, a mix of anger, hurt, sadness, and love swirling together on your face.

"I... I don't know." Cedric hung his head, grief and shame dimming the light in his eyes. "I really did want to tell you, I didn't mean to keep it secret for so long. But, you just-" Cedric's voice grew hoarse, and you could see tears slowly filling up in his eyes. Your eyes immediately softened, and you clasped your hands around Cedric's cheeks in comfort. Cedric inhaled a shaky breath, blinking fast to stop the tears from leaking out. You caress his distressed face with your thumb, moving in closer to Cedric.

"It's okay Ceddy, take your time. I'm here." You coo softly. You look up at the sorcerer, feeling the rest of your negative emotions shrivel up in an instant. Now, your heart aches with love and compassion for the man in front of you. Tears slip from Cedric's lacquer colored eyes, dripping down his ruddy cheeks and onto your fingers. You wait patiently for him to calm down to continue his train of thought. After a few moments, Cedric brings his hands up to clasp them tightly in his own.

"I wanted to tell you sooner. But then... you look at me, just like that. Like I'm the most lovely thing you've ever seen, even though I've done such horrible, awful things." Cedric's voice cracked, but he pressed on, the words spilling out uncontrollably like the tears falling from his eyes.

"And even though I knew that not telling you would blow up in my face, like it always does-" Cedric laughed humorlessly, his chuckle sounding more like a sob. "I didn't want to lose you, I didn't want you to stop looking at me with love and kindness. I convinced myself that if you knew what I almost did to the kingdom... You'd hate me, and rightfully so." Cedric shakes his head, refusing to look at you.

You try to catch his eye, but Cedric still refuses to meet your eyes. Without thinking, you open your mouth to speak.

"I could never hate you, Cedric.... I love you."

Your mouth hung slack as you realized that you just told Cedric you loved him, out loud, for the first time ever. Your heart was pumping a million miles a minute, yet your mind fell into a state of complete tranquility. It was like you completely trusted the truth of your own words fully for the first time. A thick silence fell over you and Cedric, and even the birds hushed their songs as if they didn't want to interrupt this moment. Cedric broke the silence first, exhaling a shaky breath.

"I know."

Cedric gave you a bittersweet smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Your face began to fall, and your rapidly beating heart stopped dead in your throat.

"I was also afraid that despite everything, you would choose to love me and stay with me anyways; because that's just who you are. It's one of the many reasons I love you, too." Cedric gazed at you adoringly, his cheeks and ears lighting up like a flame.

"I was scared that if everyone knew of us, you'd be treated differently... I didn't want you to be ostracized because of my mistakes- I was so convinced that either way, I'd ruin you." Cedric's voice fell to a hush, and the pain of his own confession hit you like a truck. You made a choked noise from the back of your throat, tears welling up in your own eyes.

"Cedric... " The words on the tip of your tongue fizzled out, and the lump formed in your throat made you mute.

"And now, even in trying to protect you I ended up hurting you instead. I truly am sorry for everything." Cedric's voice becomes thick with emotion, and he swallows hard. You stare up at Cedric, still unable to use your voice. Your heart was screaming to tell him you've already forgiven him, and that you want nothing more than for Cedric to kiss you and tell you he loved you over and over again.

"I know that after everything, it would be selfish to even ask- but if you were to give me one more chance, I promise you that I'll never shut you out again."

Cedric's voice was clear and strong for the first time, but his eyes were full of trepidation at hearing your response. You could feel deep in your bones how much you ache for him back by your side. Acting on that feeling, you pull him flush against your body, flinging your arms tightly around his waist. You feel his body stiffen as he processed what was happening. You bury your face into his chest, inhaling his scent deeply. The familiar sharp smell of burnt citrus, lavender, sweat, and sweet saccharine of his lab chemicals stilled your heart as you felt his own about to burst from his chest.

"Is that... A yes?" His hands lightly rested on your back, hesitating to fully embrace you.

You nod, squeaking out a small "yes." You parted from Cedric, locking eyes with him.

"I never want to be apart from you ever again. I forgive you, Cedric. Can you forgive me, too?" You ask shyly, your lips pressed together tightly in anxiety.

"I think we both know the answer to that, love." Cedric's mouth quirked up into a broken smile, his eyes misting up again. You flash him a crooked smile of your own, your eyes never leaving his gaze.

"Is that a yes?" You echoed Cedric's words, tilting your head playfully. You bit down on your lower lip to stop yourself from laughing as Cedric's eyes lit up mischievously.

"Will a kiss suffice for an answer?" Cedric purred, brushing his thumb against the part of your lip you just bit down on. Your eyes widened at his forwardness, but you quickly recovered. Instead of answering, you tugged at his robe to draw him in.

Following your movement, Cedric's lips connected tenderly against your own. As both your lips made contact, it felt as if time itself held its breath to not ruin the moment between you both. Cedric's hands cupped your face, cradling you as if you would shatter in a thousand pieces. Tears threatened to come again at his gentle touch. Continuing the kiss, your hand found its way to the nape of his neck, burying your fingers in his silky hair. Your other hand leaned into his chest to keep your balance, and you felt his heart beating wildly. Cedric slowly deepened the kiss, his hands leaving your face to pull you in closer by the waist as he snakes his own fingers into your hair. You hummed approvingly, your pulse rushing in your ears. His kiss felt like home, and you never knew a more blissful moment than being in his arms. After a few more lingering kisses exchanged between you both, you pull away slowly to take in a breath.

Cedric looks down at you lovingly, his eyes glazed over and his cheeks flushed. A dopey smile broke out on your own face, and you bring Cedrics hand up to brush your lips over his gloved knuckles affectionately.

"I love you." Cedric drew out, savoring the way the phrase felt on his tongue.

"I love you too, Cedric." You brush your fingers through his silver bangs, cupping his chin in your hand.