#so i got wordy

[cellsshapedlikestars]

do you plan out your stories in advanced or do you just start writing and hope for the best? I'm trying to get back into writing but I always end up completely deviating from any plan I made beforehand

My writing process is chaos, anon.

For a tl;dr: I just start writing and hope for the best

For a longer explanation of my process, see below the cut. Also, I feel dumb saying this, but spoilers for my own fics, especially the mysteries (which are better examples for plot planning than my romcoms)

1a) I get an idea, something super basic. Like, "time travel murder mystery" or "Sansa and Jon reluctant roommates". The idea then usually forms into a series of scenes or one particular scene in my head - for example: Sansa is dead, Jon goes to her funeral, later is questioned by police as a suspect, then time travel. Or, Sansa is already having a bad day and arrives at her brother's house only to find he's also letting his friend stay there and they were both unaware & kinda pissed about it, which starts them on the wrong foot as she threatens him with a knife.

1b) OR I watch a piece of media, go "wow they fumbled this great premise hard and I want to fix all the things I didn't like" and then I take the inciting incident and build my own story from there. (See: Doona. Business proposal is different, I actually liked the show, but Jon and Sansa did not fit the main leads' personalities so I had to change everything after the inciting incident. Plus I just find it more fun to come up with my own story than following the source material to a T)

2) this idea does not leave my brain, even if I want it to. I don't think you can force this step, tbh

3) I write a first chapter to get the idea/scene out of my head so I can get back to writing the story I'm already in the middle of. I post the chapter to exorcise it from my mind

4) this does not work

5) People in the comments are excited, which makes me excited! I obsessively think about it until I have a vague idea of how I want the story to go. Usually I have an end goal and some important story beats. Nothing is set in stone, and 99% of the time I don't even bother writing an outline, because I know I won't stick to it. The only "outlines" I make are just a string of ideas in the general order I want them to go in

6) I think of scenes I want, then work backwards to how to connect them

7) when I write a chapter, I know what I want the chapter end to be/the cliffhanger, and I write until I get there. Only once or twice have I had to cut chapters in two, but I try not to do this, even if the chapter ends up being pretty long.

8) sometimes you have to throw away ideas/scenes you thought were set in stone. Sometimes you start writing and those scenes Do Not Work anymore, and that's ok

For example, in mongrel heart, there was supposed to be this big, super dramatic showdown with Ramsay, like this big action movie scene. But when I got there, it felt totally wrong for the vibe of the story, so I went with a more intimate/personal final fight. The scene I had envisioned was totally gone. I had to add Oberyn kind of at the last minute, because I had come up with this elaborate world in the background, and needed to wrap that up.

For you on the run, I wrote the first chapter because "Sansa is kidnapped in a library" would not leave my head. I then posted it and had to scramble to come up with a plot. I knew the why, I knew I wanted it to be for Sansa's own safety, but WHO is out for her? I honestly don't think I decided for certain until she's back in winterfell.

In help me out of the shape I'm in, the bad guy was going to be ol' Bobby B, until I started writing chapter 4 when it switched to Joffrey because I had started fleshing out that case more and liked the horror of it being someone Sansa had "dated" more

Anyway, the gist is, I write as I go, and I go where the story takes me as I write. I'll be completely honest and say that a lot of the time, the excitement in the comments makes me excited to write and fuels my creativity. (this can backfire though. The few bitchy/negative comments on trojan horse kinda ruined the momentum for me on that one, which is why I'm not as actively writing it, despite REALLY liking it and thinking those comments were kinda dumb/narrow minded. And I'm not even talking about the rando anon who seems to have made it their mission to be negative on multiple jonsa fics, those people I don't even take into account. It was the ones from people who CANNOT escape a POV trap and make me so frustrated that I don't want to write anymore lol. I feel like how grrm must feel in these moments). But yes, the basic gist is: chaos and my obsessive brain that needs a creative outlet

I know this method isn't for everyone. I know there are authors out there who write an outline before they ever write a sentence, and they post their first chapter with the chapter count already out, bold and confident in their outline. This is not me. I could never aspire to this level of control

Anon, I hope you keep trying! Write those stories! Be creative! Remember the number one rule of fic: it's FUN, so have fun and write what YOU would want to read!

[dandelion-roots]

[ID: a digital redraw of the scene where chuuya shoots dazai in the shoulder. on the top of the drawing is chuuya holding a guy to dazai's head in the red and grey hallways of the prison. on the bottom of the drawing is dazai's pained face. the gunshot is shown stylistically as hectic lines behind his bloody shoulder. over the image is half a quote from goncharov that reads 'if we really were in love you wouldn't have missed.' the signature says dandelion-roots. end ID]

This quote from Goncharov (1973) in relation to soukoku has been haunting me from before I even got to that scene in the anime (the full thing is: Katya- Of course we're in love, that's why I tried to shoot you/ Goncharov- If we really were in love you wouldn't have missed). Violence as a tool for communicating emotions, especially love and hatred, especially love and hatred makes me go feral- how could I not think of the iconic quote that says that katya's miss was a sign of a lack of love/a fake love when chuuya didn't miss? Just... losing it over here.

[hajihiko]

Let me just say, I LOVE the way you draw Junko. She's like a mix between a haunted doll and a hollow scarecrow

Thank you shes increasingly fun to draw

Junko, the girl, alive and (physically) well

Junko, the body dead but too much of it remaining inside others to be gone, her ideals living beyond her years and becoming synonymous with her name, turning her into not a girl but an idea, the most unkillable thing

[entropyvoid]

Golden Hour (+ lineart below cut)

I took a picture of the lines for once and did some basic crappy photo editing on my phone, so you could probably print this out and use it as a coloring page or something if you so wish lol. Do with it what you will.

[feline-evil]

I need to yell about Hangman and MJF's outfits

What a match what a fucking match i've had my heart broken and shattered and i'm giving a standing ovation. The outfits also have been on my mind all day and It's been driving me bananas in the best way, for two reasons to do with both of their current character arcs. The first is we still tend to utilize bright white and lighter tones as synonymous with good guy and darker tones as bad guy tones, which is a whole bigger conversation we can have, BUT. In this match Hangman, arguably the hero, comes out in black and MJF, arguably the villain, comes out in white. They aren't dressed as their roles in the ring, or their roles in the eyes of the crowd. They are dressed as they each see themselves. Hangman thinks of himself as a bad guy right now, he's haunted by all he's done; can he even love himself after all of this is the question of the hour. And so he dons the black outfit. MJF thinks himself a good guy spurned and denied love, he'll be the bad guy for everyone but he's crying out about it; why not him, why not him. So he dons white. Which i also think speaks to how much outside of binaristic boxes the two of them are playing, something i highly commend and love to see in wrestling; good and evil isn't so clear cut here, good men can do bad, good men can think themselves the villain. Men who could be good can instead choose to be the villain. The other thing on my mind is the second level on which MJF's outfit works. His all white gear with it's flashes of red is so stark against everything, it catches your eye in a way that will show every mark or blemish against it; white makes it all feel....vulnerable, somehow doesn't it. And then that black elbow pad stands out more than usual against all that white, dark and emblazoned with THE BAD GUY in shiny red. To me that's the core of him as he is right now in his character arc, his mantle as the bad guy, the villain, that's armour. Every spit, every cruel jab, every piece of venom and violence and every lash out; it's a wall, it's his fists up, a shield because not being liked when you are making a conscious effort to be the bad guy hurts less than being disliked when you are open and vulnerable and honest. He dropped that armour for a while, and he got hurt worse than ever before when he was betrayed, and now it's right back up; but it feels different now that it's evolved over this returning storyline, we're seeing something play out here. Even now as he dons it he can't help but cry out, scream why not him, why can't it be him that is loved; desperately clinging to that wall, that one elbow pad in a sea of bright white. What lies beneath spilling out of him like a sea of blinding light, vulnerable and hurting and agonizingly wanting only one thing- one thing that the very wall you rely on pushes away from you, because it'll hurt everytime it's rejected, it'll hurt far worse than bringing those fists up and putting that shield up.

[starpros-sunshine]

Eichi gives away the mask so easily because it was never meant to be an "engagement ring" like you delulu wataeis imagined it to be lmao. It was wataru saying that he will continue playing tsumugi clown role in fine and won't leave it for hokuto's mother troupe after graduation. Do you dumb fucks even read the stories? Eichi didn't even understand tf that mask meant when wataru gave it to him and wataru referenced fucking tsumugi in his "proporsal". I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link. Cope

PS: how do you live with the fact that Eichi clearly admitted to never being in love in his life and Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives?

I love you anon thank you for giving me a nice reason to ramble again beautiful ask 10/10 I'm sorry this is probably not how you hoped this would go but this is such a funny block of text delightful really thank you for the enrichment please marry me

But okay yes now to get down to the actual ask just to disclaim I am solely relying on translations seeing as I do not speak japanese well enough to understant the original text so if anyone has anything to add to this or to correct me on please feel free to do so.

Now to get started I'm not sure if one could say Eichi gave away the mask "So easily" seeing as he claimed that it was "a hard choice to make"? Which, as one might know, implies unease with an idea and pondering and debating and a general amount of thinking behind a decision so? I know this isn't really the main focus of this ask but I'm just a tad miffed with the semantics of it is all. And in either case giving the mask back to Wataru while expecting it back still shows a certain degree of trust in their relationship it wouldn't have been such a big deal for him (as it apparently was) if the mask didn't have a lot of sentimental value to him (the both of them really if we look at the whole exchange).

Now to the claim that the mask was "only" Watarus promise to stay with fine and "continue playing Tsumugis clown role". This is not entirely incorrect. Regarding the acting troupe and staying with fine bit at least.

I'm assuming this bit in EP:Link Deadend/7 is what you are referencing, and I see where you're coming from. But the bluebird line

from literally three dialogue lines further down, which references this line of dialogue (notorious Eichi line everyone should be familiar with)

kind of somewhat really recontextualises that? Because you see this is a reference to a fairytale about a pair of siblings and they get sent out by a nice fairy to find the bluebird of happiness for her sad daughter to make her happy again so they both go on an adventure and travel far and search and search but they can not find the bluebird of happiness and then when they return home again, disappointed because they couldn't find the blue bird, they realise only one night has actually passed and the journey was probably just a dream. But then their eyes fall upon their pet dove in it's cage which appears blue all of a sudden and so they gift it to the fairies sad daughter which becomes happy again and sets the bird free. The real bluebird of happiness is a dove. At least in the version of the story I'm familiar with but I mean everyone sees the symbolism right? It's. very hard to miss.

And then dropping this?

I'm not sure how to say this properly but in the overall context this makes it pretty clear that Tsumugi has nothing to do with this anymore this is Fully between Wataru and Eichi. And I am the last person to dismiss Tsumugis significance in the course of Wataeis relationship as characters I will be among the first to protest when someone dismisses the importance of Tsumugis and Eichis relationship in favour of some image they have of Wataei but he has nothing to do with this one.

Yes Tsumugi gets namedropped but - again - I don't really see how that would lessen the sentiment Wataru is triying to convey here? Because. Yes. Why wouldn't he mention Tsumugi?

The entire conversation pretty much boils down to "Yes I was initially only in this because I thought I could replace Tsumugis role in your life and then I wanted to leave but we have spent so much time together that I realised that that is definitely not working out because I really do love you. I love you as a teammate; I love you as a friend; I love you as a person and I am very angry at myself for not managing to get that into your head. So please allow me to stay with you for as long as you'll have me." And then also Eichi not understanding because he has the emotional self awareness of a very emotionally unaware loaf of bread and also because he hates himself that is a very big thing about his character huge part of his character arc actually that he. you know? Hates himself? And feels guitly for his actions during the war? And doesn't think he deserves love and companionship? Which is why Wataru wanting to stay with him for him and not for some twisted form of revenge is such an alien concept to him? Because he is projecting his insecurities onto Wataru? As one is wont to do when they hate themself? "EiChi Didn'T eVen UnDErStanD WhAt tf ThAT Mask MEAnt" Yeah. That's. That's the point? So he can think about it and come to that conclusion himself which works as a keymoment in his characters journey from hating life and himself to enjoying being alive and wanting to live on because of the people he's surrounded with? He literally explains why he didn't immediately understand the mask during the EP:Link Epilogue/4

And to get back to the "I dunno why the f you think it's ok to lie about "! EnDiNG wItH wAtAeI EnGaGeMEnT" about which I have two things to say:

"Lying" implies further intent and an effort. Neither of which exist in this case.

He literally went down on one knee while making a big proclamation of offering himself to Eichi with a very personal item that works as a symbol for their commitment to each other on a starlit rooftop. The comparison writes itself.

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke

And then I expected there to be a proper reason given and instead you proceed to follow that up with "when the chapter it happened wasn't even close to the end of ep:link". I know the shame is on me for expecting something sensical from an ask which has been near constant in it's lack of correct statements but such is human nature I suppose. And you are not wrong. Deadend/7 isn't very close to the end of EP:Link. That is true.

But do you know what Is very close to the end of EP:Link? The Epilogue Chapters 3-5.

Do you know what the content of those chapters is? I do. Very well actually :)

(Eichi literally explains why he didn't get it)

So if this answers your "Do you dumb fucks even read the stories?" questions, Yes. And I think I'm a lot better at it than you. So I'd say I'm coping quite well over here :p

PS: Regarding your PS, I take the "I've never been in love before so I wouldn't know" comment with a lot of humour actually as an aroace person who's emotional self awareness also ends at "good" and "Not good" I think it's very funny all things considered especially because he mentioned the loving Wataru thing several times before that and I'm generally of the belief that actions speak louder than words and also am in a happy long term relationship with the concept of "Reading Subtext". So please excuse me for not breaking down in tears everytime someone reminds me of that one singuar line of text in one of my favourite all time enstars stories that came out three years ago which also brought us the single best card set in the entire game

as well as absolute banger dialogue such as

Among others <33

And there are soooooo many other examples of wataei dialogue that simply make me swoon but I have already had to take out so many of the one's I wish I could put here so this wouldn't get "Do you love the colour of the sky" long

And also, regarding your "Wataru said that even though Eichi likes him, he still can easily discard him for the sake of his objectives" I'll just say that no he absolutely could not. I mean he'd say that and if pull comes to shove and he has no other option then he might seriously consider it but may I mention that Wataru was gone for a few days at most but really not that long of a time during Sanctuary and Eichi stopped considering being a normal rational person that doesn't leave helpless 17 year olds in the midst of a construction site. Very different situation but I feel like it's worth mentioninh here. Another example is Eichis almost not being able to go through with the war because of Wataru. Wataru had to actively come and tell Eichi to go through with it. Wataru isn't the reason Eichi started the war, that is wrong, but he is the reason Eichi almost didn't finish it. and during the war era that was his Main objective. Again I'm part of the fraction "actions speak louder than words" Show don't tell and all that, but even the words are pushing it.

And that concludes my essay :)

[mollymarymarie]

I completely understand your rightful aversion to JKR and her horrendous views, but oh, selfishly I really wish you would continue to write Wolfstar. You write them so beautifully, and I think your art highlights, celebrates and encourages queer love stories like no other. Your work is certainly very important to me personally and helped me through some things in my personal life, and I'm truly sorry to hear you feel like you have to give it up because of her. She's taken so much from all of us - if writing Wolfstar brings you joy, why let her steal that from you too? (This is all said with the greatest love and admiration, of course)

oh friend 🥹🥹 you are so kind, thank you

honestly, that was why i KEPT writing wolfstar, as a big queer fuck you to jk for being such a fucking garbage can of a person. i kept writing them because sometimes, people told me the same thing you did, that my stories helped them/you through personal shit. i kept writing because i knew she could never take them away from us, not the wonderful myriad of versions that WE created of them.

and then i got shit for being over 30 and writing fanfic, being over 30 and writing HP fanfic, writing fanfic in general, writing HP fanfic when jk is such a piece of shit. so, unfortunately, it wasn't JUST jk's transphobic bullshit that made me shy away, it was other people.

i know this probably makes me sound childish (mean people on the internet were picking on me 😫) but i'm just a person with a regular job and i was doing it for fun. posting my words for fun. so when i started associating that activity with those mean people on the internet, it gave me more stress than anything else. i think i'm still easing back into writing, in general. long periods go where i don't write at all. i still struggle with analyzing everything i say or do.

but i'll never stop loving wolfstar. it was my biggest hyperfixation for so long, i don't think that will ever go away. and maybe i will get back into writing them, i'm not sure. if i do, it will be because of messages like yours that gave me a reason to remember why i started <3

[josephtrohman]

Joe reaches above his head, pushing onto his toes, to put a clean frying pan on the top shelf, pulling his t-shirt up with the motion. There’s a flash of the dimples near Joe’s spine, at the small of his back—an unnecessarily sexy part of him, in Patrick’s opinion—holding Patrick’s attention. Patrick feels pulled to him from across the kitchen, unconsciously, fingers curling over hip bones, thumbs holding the hem of Joe’s shirt out of the way to get an eye full. He stares with wide, yearning eyes... Or: Patrick catches a glimpse of Joe’s back dimples, and he has to act up about it. Naturally.

top patrick/bottom joe nation i wrote a little bit of married/domestic flavoured smut inspired by joe's back dimples, hope u enjoy <3

[soundleer]

I don't know if this count weird or not but what if I want to Ship Sky with my Oc? Like the same age as him or even make them older

I mean like selfshipping and oc X canon are different right? Bc if it wrong I make had to to change that character

before i answer this, i wanna say that im aware ill probably word this poorly so it'll come off in a way it's undesirable to hear but ill try my best to answer in the most collected fashion

apparently there seems to be some confusion regarding this topic and where the line should be drawn but hey ill assure you, yes selfshipping is entirely different from oc × canon. ill also say this too and in my personal opinion, i think its okay to ship sky with your oc who's also a minor!

you may not think this parts necessary but i feel like its needed as good rule of thumb for others: unless you decided to make that same oc age along with you in real-time, i see no issue with shipping an oc with sky especially if they're at the same age range as him!

*TL;DR selfship and oc × canon are completely different, therefore its not weird to ship sky with an oc thats on his age range!*

[musashi]

getting bloodwork done on tuesday to hopefully find out whats wrong with meeeeeeeee. the exhaustion is pervasive and the pain is EVERYWHERE but moving. today its in my toes. fucking bizarre!

[mechahero]

Ideas List!

Not quite a wishlist because I'm not really wishing super hard for any of this to happen, but it would be a neat thing to use as a prompt in general. Just neat little things to do, you know?

Bumping into each other during one of Motor City's frequent "apocalypse" events. (Be it of the vampire, werewolf, or zombie variety) It can go a few ways, two could involve being escorted to a safe zone and having to deal with the danger that comes with that or being immune to help fight through it and get the undead back on track and knock them out of their blood drinking/flesh eating stupor.

Take him out of his element. (Say into space? Maybe?) Fun (and maybe not so fun and dangerous) adventures in space. Surely he won't die out there. Surely.

Adding on: it doesn't just have to be out in space. It can be smaller situations. Drag him out to a party full of people that won't kick him for sneaking in to steal from their snack table. Hell, not even a party, anywhere. Chilling hours more or less. Or at least trying to.

Sparring threads! Yes, he does tend to fight tooth and nail on here and will often avoid fighting without a reason (at least when it comes to sparring) but what if he gets put into an environment where he has to deal with a more "relaxed" form of fighting? Also, it'd be fun to see about what kind of hang-ups he has to deal with in regards to that.

Monster of the week shenanigans. Or better yet, weird shit in general happening and both of our muses are more or less dealing with it or trying to figure out how to solve it. Because you know, a building gaining sentience and dissolving people isn't a thing you want hanging around, you know?

[thedeafprophet]

sorry i'm gonna be mean- 🙉hear no evil for josie, ☄️comet for jamie & 🌈rainbow for alex 🫡

please always be mean to my characters its delightful

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worse thing your oc could hear from someone?

There are so many things that would cut Josephine deeply... questioning her capabilities, needling at her choice to bring her brother back, comparing her to those she claims to stand against...

But above all, the worst thing would be an accusation that ties them all together: that her need to know would outweigh all the care she claims to have, would outweight everything she's worked for.

Because deep down, she fears it might not be wrong.

"You can claim it's for the revolution, for your family, for any number of things. But when it comes down to it, its never really been about them, has it? Its always the knowledge, the endless questions... when push comes to shove, would you really ever choose anything else? "

☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

oh, people assume so many things about our dear Poet Laureate, now don't they? What are they if not the talk of the town, their name ver present on the lips of the people, as gossip swirls in salons and gathering. Scandal, rumors, all sorts of speculation grow around Jamie like a fog, making the true view of them... a little out of view. It seems as though there is always some question in the air of what their next escapade will be, the next controversial writing, the next piece that could upset the very balance of propriety. Some might say these acts of scandal are intentional, for what better way to promote a new work than by causing a stir? There may be a kernal of truth to that, after all.

And of course, above all else, we know one assumption that strikes at the heart of Jamie's reputation: that they are, indeed, a favourite of The Captivating Princess. Rumours spread so easily after all, when two are seen in public time and time again. Whispers of a speial connection, the empress' children so oft swayed to the appeal of performers. To an outsiders view, its a simple enough tale: a poet beloved by the princess, their sucess perhaps aided by her approval. Perhaps a forbidden love story despite social differences, as if Jamie was a protagonist of one of their own tales. Much is there to be whispered about, with raised eyesbrows and sly glances. How much of their position was earned by their own right, after all?

Of course, we know the truth of the situation. We know that those who view Jamie hs lucky for her attentions are quite wrong.

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

"Take a moment to breath, kid. Not everything is a fight."

So much of Alex's life was spent in survival mode, constantly looking after himself and after others. He isnt exactly a man of many words, but if he could say something to his younger self, it'd be along those lines. He's learned many things over time. From those who stuck around. He nows you can't take on the whole world all at once.

And deep down, he'd try to reassure the kid that he's not doomed to repeat the mistakes of their father. They have plenty of his own mistakes to make, after all.

Ask game from here

[kitthenameless]

Ok, I'm finally gonna do it, I'm gonna defend Aradin 😅 (kind of)

I'm not going to say he's good, I just feel like he gets a disproportionate amount of hate compared to other characters who do equally bad or worse things but get sympathy. Especially considering he and Rolan are surprisingly similar, in a way that really illustrates the difference good influences can have. (Well, Aradin is more fantasy racist. But even some of our companions have that problem, so we're just gonna put that aside for now.)

Neither one actually wants to help protect the grove, it's just that Rolan has people to convince him. But they both care about the ones they consider their people. And Rolan also doesn't care that Nightsong is a person and will side with Lorroakan to capture her if you don't properly help him and complete his growth arc. But again, he changes because the game lets you help him grow through various situations and because he has siblings who are there for him and good influences on him.

When we first meet Aradin, at the point where we have the option to punch him, all we've actually seen him do is run to a safe place for help while terrified. Maybe it was a mistake to lead goblins there, but he was, well, running for his life, and you'd probably do the same. (I've seen another player say they literally did this exact thing when they were down to one party member and going to die, thinking the tieflings at the gate would help.) He also made a mistake by going to the goblin camp so unprepared, but who among us hasn't had characters, or our whole party, die in combat because we underestimated a fight or weren't prepared? Halsin also went with them and didn't properly consider preparations either. You might also argue that he made a mistake by leaving crewmates behind, but he might've figured at that point they would ALL die if they stayed, and at least he could save a couple if they ran. All of Aradin's mistakes in Act 1 are pretty understandable things.

If you actually talk to Aradin (which you can do at the grove, a bridge in Act 1, and outside Sorcerous Sundries), he seems more downtrodden than anything. He's grieving the people he lost. He even accepts your offer of a prayer for his dead friends, if you're a cleric. He tells you you'll probably die but still willingly gives you all his info about the Nightsong if you want it, because he no longer cares about the money at that point. And I'm guessing he probably wouldn't have started doing jobs like this at all if he didn't need the money. His armor and weapons are not high quality. And though we don't know much about Aradin's situation (other than, presumably, his father is dead), we know Barth didn't grow up with much money.

As for the fantasy racism... Ok. I get it, if you want to punch him for that. But so many characters in this world are like that. Shadowheart is anti-gith, Minthara insults you if you're an elf, and Astarion can make comments about gnomes at least a couple times throughout the game. So it seems weird to hold that against Aradin and no one else.

And come on, be real for a moment. He is NOT worse than Gortash or Raphael or Ketheric or even Minthara---characters people love and/or sympathize with. But he gets so much more hate, and people who like him get so much more shit for it. I support you, Aradin lovers 🤝

Anyway, one really interesting thing about this game is how differently characters can turn out, depending on the influences in their life. Just look at most of the companions, with their good and bad paths. Aradin is not a good person as he is, but I think he could've had the potential to change just as much as other characters in this game. Unlike some, he doesn't seem set in stone on a specific path and unwilling to change, he's sort of just struggling to get by and making bad decisions because of it. It's fine that the writers didn't give him an arc, it's ok for some characters to stay assholes. It's just odd to me that other characters get sympathy and analyses and even just love for them being the terrible person they are, while Aradin mostly just gets excessive hate.

[setmeatopthepyre]

9-1-1 tag game

so uhh I was tagged in this by a whole bunch of people (thank you!) ages ago but I kept. forgetting about it (sorry). so here we go! also heads up I am terrible at choosing a favorite anything bc I hate picking just one thing so. yeah.

tagged by @iphyslitterator @sorryimlatecapt @epiphainie @kinardtk @beanarie @sugdenlovesdingle

Rules: answer your opinion on these nine topics, then tag nine other people to give their opinion as well

Favorite Character: Buck / Chimney / Tommy / Karen

Character You Relate to the Most: personality wise, Chimney and Buck (also for the late bi awakening & adhd) with a side of Tommy socially. but also Eddie when he gets to be silly. I feel his dumb joke delivery in my soul.

Favorite Episode: I'm gonna go with my favorite from each season to ease the burden of choosing The Favorite(s) a little. so. uh. sorry for the wall of text lmao.

S1 E1: Pilot. It's got a little bit of everything and fuckboy buck is everything to me.

S2 E6: Dosed and E12: Chimney Begins. E6: I love a healthy mix of goofy shenanigans and angst, and the pageant scene is so fucking funny every single time. E12: I also love chimney (and tommy) and chimney begins is just such a fantastic episode. kenny is so good in it. there's eli! there's angst and joy and just such a satisfying emotional arc. it feels like a million things happen but nothing feels rushed and nothing drags. it gets weirdly trippy towards the end. it's great.

S3 E17: Powerless. this was a tough one bc s3 has a ton of episodes where I love some parts and dislike others, so they tend to balance out. but this episode has some fun calls and some really human moments I like, plus the angst of bobby listening to athena fight over the radio? goddd.

S4 E5: Buck Begins and E12: Treasure Hunt. what can I say, buck (and buckley sibling) backstory and love me anyway. also, shenanigans.

S5 E13: Fear-o-Phobia. mann there's so much angst but it doesn't drag or feel overdone and we really dig into the meat of some of their psyches and it's so messy.

S6 E7: Cursed and E11: In Another Life. E7: felisa and eddie had such good chemistry alright? also silly curse stuff and the buck sperm donation shenanigans! jesus I still can't believe that's a storyline we got. E11: yeah ok so I like buck-centric storylines (especially buck-and-bobby!). coma dream! chimney who is just on board right away! evil buck! angry bobby! yeaah!

S7 E4: Buck, Bothered and Bewildered and E5: You Don't Know Me. E4 for obvious reasons (the bachelor opening had me double checking I'd downloaded the wrong show, there's joshmaddiechimney shenanigans, there's harbor tour!!, tommy tommy tommy's so cool!!, buck acting a complete fool, eddie being an oblivious dumbass, ravi!, the top gun throwback basketball scene! the kiss!!), though god that call with the mistaken identity and the storyline with athena and harry are rough. not bad, just rough. and E5 has some of my absolute favorite scenes, like the 'so tell me about the hot pilot' scene between maddie and buck. it might be my most rewatched scene, period.

S8a E1: Buzzkill and E5: Masks. mann, I remember the optimism I had in e1! there's silliness, there's interesting plot being set up, there's still hope for the future, there's fun interactions... and E5 for obvious reasons but also because it just felt like a kind of old school fun theme episode with just the right amount of cheese.

Hottest Take: Season Six Was Good, Actually. idk i've seen a lot of people dislike it but I... don't know why? there's a few storylines I don't care about as much but there's some really fun episodes. oh on that note, the sperm donation storyline had a lot of potential and I'm sad we didn't get more of it. it could've been such a cool way to dive into different dynamics between characters we don't really know! there could've been baby shenanigans! medium-warm take bc I think a lot of people in my circles agree with it, but taylor is an incredibly interesting character (and they should've kept her on!). in my heart, there is a version of 9-1-1 where taylor didn't disappear after the break up but stayed as a recurring character and becomes best frenemies with buck (and eddie!) and it would be sooo good and provide sooo many fun plot opportunities. perhaps my hottest take: I think we as a fandom may be making too big of a deal about eddie moving to el paso. we don't even know if he's actually going. the looking at houses was a product placement and the show just loooooves to zig instead of zag it's more likely to me that eddie is gone for like one week so buck can be isolated for the maddie storyline and then he's back.

Favorite Lone Star Character: marjan, carlos, judd, grace (especially judd and grace together), paul. to just stare at: carlos and tommy.

Favorite Ship: bucktommy (and for lone star: tarlos and judd/grace)

Most Underrated Character: josh. underutilized by the show: karen, josh, eddie, chimney. i want karen & chimney to have plots outside of their romantic relationships, dammit. they both have unexplored depths! and let josh do more than give quippy lines and be the gay best friend/coworker. also i think there's so much potential in eddie as a character that is barely touched on and it keeps circling back to vague handwavy trauma which can be interesting but needs more room to get to be interesting imo.

Most Underrated Ship: (chimney begins-era) chimtommy, also eddietommy. so much opportunity for a game of emotional repression and comphet chicken.

One Thing You'd Love to See: where's that tommytommytommytommytommy gif? also see: underutilized characters. I'd love to see 118 side character shenanigans. just one episode with no mains (or they're on screen for like a minute).

lmao this became such a long post so uh enjoy. once I get going with opinions I just don't stop and like I said I can't pick favorites. :') not tagging bc I think everyone & their mom already got tagged ages ago but if you do want to be tagged go for it or send me a message & I'll tag you sneaky like.

[arsprince]

i outlined brief character tidbits here, ages ago... but let me ramble a bit more about the evil bird prince and, specifically, how i approach the show canon. 🦉

with regard to the narrative. i portray stolas as an antagonist, as was intended originally in the pilot episode. i draw inspiration from the gothic genre, with stolas as the morally grey-but-mostly-wicked antagonist that looms as a constant threat / nuisance for blitzø and IMP, tackling themes of classism and the political structure of hell — given that their business only exists because stolas permits it.

with regard to his origins. i will eventually make a detailed lore post on the ars goetia. as detailed in the lesser key of solomon, or the lemegeton, there are seventy-two demons comprising the dynasty of the ars goetia. stolas himself is the thirty-sixth demon and he is ancient. abiding by demonology, the ars goetia, the most ancient of them, are the fallen angels that once served lucifer in his rebellion against heaven, aiding him in his quest against the Lord. (whether this rebellion was a war, as in paradise lost, or rather the mere act of tempting lilith & eve, as in the show.) for their loyalty, they were granted command over lucifer's legions and his magic & grimoires. stolas himself was young during the time of the rebellion / the fall, os his memories are only vague. of the ars goetia & their respective powers, stolas' domain is astronomy. he embodies the pursuit of knowledge, a scholar among demons if you wish to summon him, offerings he might appreciate are herbs, precious stones

with regard to his ambitions. stolas' ambitions have lain dormant for centuries; he had entertained himself by tormenting mortals before but gradually, hell's influence on earth has dwindled and the days of medieval wars and demon summoning are mostly over. with lucifer absent in the politics of hell, and the power struggles occurring, primarily within the pride ring with all the overlords and their turf wars, stolas thinks it's time hell went back to its former glory. he's mostly just bored of lounging around and gossiping with the aristocrats when once he used to command armies. he would like to amass more power, surely. strike a few strategic alliances.

with regard to IMP and the grimoire situation. as mentioned, stolas grants them the grimoire for their business. he does this on the premise that they do his dirty work for him and take out whatever mortals he needs them to. of course, this is kept hush-hush as it is entirely illegal. whatever this means for his & blitz's dynamic, i leave on a per-interaction basis. i'm down to adjust this, especially in light of the new episodes, and plot something out!

with regard to my headcanons. i think it'd be neat to explore some political intrigue with the ars goetia, to have stolas actively engaged in a political chess game with andrealphus. i'd also like to explore more of his & stella's arranged marriage, and their dynamic, for which i'm open to all sorts of interpretations. basically, i'd love to plot out all the canon dynamics and see how we can make it work. also stolas making deals with sinners / overlords for mutually beneficial reasons.

[cinnbar-bun]

I finally am mentally activated time to be so weird and change up everything I am gonna be soooo annoying about my beloved Dinappleblossom and my shit ass SBR fic