#suddenly becoming Vengeance the moment their perspective on the situation changed!

[causalityparadoxes]

FUNNIEST (read: fucked up) THING about the Doctor deciding the Chuldurs' needed to suffer for killing Ruby? Is that the plan seemingly did not change.

The Doctor didn't change the settings to super hell dimension or anything. They just admitted to themselves how utterly inhumane trapping someone on a barren dimension for 600~ years would be. Flipping the exact same action from 'merciful' to 'rightful suffering', in an instant. They knew it was a fate worse than death. So no plan reworking was needed.

The Doctor is so fucked up, I love them.

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

"Tom Riddle effectively destroys the country from the inside out, which I believe was his true goal the entire time" (c) wait a second, so you think that he wasn't going to really take over or anything, just destroy the fuck out of w britain?

I have avoided this ask long enough.

I’ll start by saying that asking me about Tom Riddle is like staring down into a bottomless rabbit hole. We could travel down that path, but it is a dark and perilous journey, and by the end of it I will come out looking like the Mad Hatter.

It also requires a few prerequisites that you’re just going to accept as true (or else got off the crazy train here).

We know very little about Tom Riddle or Voldemort

What we do know of Tom Riddle comes to us from suspect sources

I’m just going to go out there and start with the basis that Tom is not crazy

Elaborating a little on number 1. We never actually see much of Tom Riddle or Voldemort directly. He’s a bit like Thanos in the MCU, or Palpatine in the first two movies of the Original Trilogy, he’s this looming threat that we pass by and glimpse every once in a while but never really get quality time with.

Generally, Voldemort makes an appearance in a moment of crisis.

He and Harry fight over the philosopher’s stone for Tom’s very survival. He and Harry fight over the diary for Tom’s very survival. He resurrects himself with Harry as a witness. We get those very strange dreams from Voldemort’s perspective (half of which we later learn are fabricated).

None of these really lend to our, or Harry’s for that matter, understanding of Tom Riddle. There’s too much going on, it usually happens far too fast, and there’s usually something Tom Riddle desperately wants or needs that eclipses all other concerns or else he has an audience.

This is part of the reason we get those Halfblood Prince pensieve lessons: Harry knows nothing of Tom Riddle and doesn’t understand him at all.

Which leads us, of course, to number 2, most of what we know about Tom Riddle comes from Dumbledore. I’ve talked about this before, so I won’t spend much time on it, but Dumbledore has a very clear agenda in relaying these memories to Harry. Dumbledore already has strong suspicions of what objects are horcruxes and where they’re located, he already has Snape as a very reliable agent to continue work when he’s gone, his job here is to convince Harry there is no path but suicide. And that involves portraying Tom Riddle as the most evil man who ever eviled, was born eviler than the antichrist, and will die eviler than the antichrist. 

Now, does this make Tom necessarily good or bad? No.

However, it does mean when Dumbledore tells us things like, “See, Harry, an impoverished child was upset when I lit all his belongings on fire! What a monster!” (especially given that, in a similar situation, Harry thought it was hilarious when Hagrid gave Dudley a permanent physical deformity and Harry was told he was an angel child) we should take it with a very large grain of salt.

Right, so, with all that backdrop what I’m getting at is that a) we can’t take Dumbledore at his word b) even if we could he could be wrong c) Harry doesn’t have the introspection to be able to figure himself when a or b is happening. I won’t elaborate on this last much, suffice to say that Harry’s world is very black and white, divided into the camps of those who personally like him and those who don’t.

So, why do I think Tom’s goal was not to rule the wizarding world but instead to destroy it?

A few things.

First, there are so many easier ways he could have ended up ruling the wizarding world. More, even when he effectively does rule the wizarding world in book seven, he takes very strange actions so that he’s never directly in power.

Second, I never really bought Tom’s racism. It’s too convenient and too contradictory with his backstory.

The second first, because we’re going out of order today. I’ve gone over this before, but I don’t believe Tom had minions early and I think he was effectively treated as a muggleborn (see here and here) until he took on the Voldemort persona many decades later. I’m hard pressed to believe someone as intelligent, angry, and proud as Tom Riddle would willingly believe and accept he was inferior to the likes of Abraxas Malfoy. More, even if he wished he was a halfblood, I think the evidence of him being muggleborn would be stacked too high against him to deny even to himself (and when he finds out it’s not true, he has maybe a month or so before he realized that he’s the bastard son of a squib). 

And it’s just so convenient. All the people with the power, with the money, who are itching for a cause against a threat that doesn’t really exist believe in blood purity. Ergo, Voldemort shows up suddenly espousing over the top blood purity rhetoric (rhetoric that directly clashes with his “there is only power” philosophy at that). 

In other words, I think Tom Riddle gave himself a line that he knew would get him places very quickly.

And now for the first. For a guy who has had the entire country in the palm of his hands twice, one time taking it over in a bloodless coup, he’s really big on causing collateral damage and really small on actually doing the ruling thing.

The first wizarding war, Tom Riddle as Voldemort has the backing of the heirs of the most prestigious and wealthy noble houses save a select few. These are people with seats in the Wizengamot, which has a frightening control over the government itself (including the minister of magic). I imagine, in 1980 had Tom Riddle wanted to be elected as Minister of Magic, he would have been elected as Minister of Magic. If he wanted a friendly face in office then he probably could have made that happen to.

More than even this though, by this point, Tom had already won. By having control over the majority of the Wizengamot he owns the government. He’s done, it’s over, it’s finished, and many of the characters admit as much which is why Harry Potter was such a miracle. So why all the seemingly random, exceptionally pointless, terrorism? 

One answer is that Voldemort is crazy bananas. And sure, I guess we can go with that, except for someone insane he’s oddly effective and very consistent. 

I believe Tom was systematically destroying the very foundations of the country through its core aristocratic families. Within a few short years Tom decimates the Black family, it goes from having five heirs to none, and while some of this isn’t Tom’s fault he does take care of quite a few of them. He brands Lucius for life, while Lucius rises high in politics he never escapes the stigma of being a known Death Eater and in the end cannot escape the consequences for his actions. The Malfoy family is very nearly destroyed by the end of the series, had Draco died in the Fiendfyre. The LeStrange family, presumably decimated as well.

More, this is mostly me headcanoning, but I imagine Tom fuels an extremism that the Wizarding World had never contemplated. I imagine, previously, anti-muggleborn sentiment was probably fairly rampant among purebloods. Oh, some were very pro-muggleborn I’m sure, but I think most were fairly “eh” on the people and felt they were a drain on society (such as requiring constant funding for the obliviation department).

However, when Diagon Alley starts getting blown up every other week, when muggleborns start being tortured and murdered, when purebloods who aren’t anti-muggleborn enough are being tortured and murdered, this starts wigging people out in a way they’ve never wigged out before.

By the time we get to Harry Potter’s canon, it is now only a minority that are anti-muggleborn, and they’re perceived as raving lunatics. Nobody wants to be grouped with these people. Which, just goes to show, how much Voldemort rattles the wizarding world in a very small amount of time.

Then there’s Deathly Hallows, rather than become minister himself Voldemort installs a puppet minister. He shows no signs of wishing to change this and instead does things like destroy the sorting hat (which again shakes the very foundations of the wizarding world as whta will we do if we don’t know who’s a Gryffindor anymore?!)

So, where is this ramble going?

Given the results we see, that more than any others it seems to be the purebloods and often Tom’s own followers that suffer colossal losses, I think Tom’s actions are, in part, a means of vengeance against the entire damn wizarding world (but especially the purebloods).

He makes fools of these people, brands them as his slaves, and has them participate in the most over the top ridiculous rituals (the cloaks, the masks, the entire theatrics of it feels like Tom got drunk one night and planned this whole thing out). He destroys them entirely, and better, enables them to completely destroy themselves and the country they believe they’re trying to save.

Basically, I think by the time the series begins Tom is fueled by a nihilist rage that knows no bounds. But dammit all, the wizarding world is going to burn.

[oosteven-universe]

Billy The Kit #2

Billy The Kit #2 Blue Juice Comics 2021 Written by Justin Gray Illustrated by Barry McClain Jr. Coloured by Slamet Mujiono Lettered by Benny Lava    The saga of the Wild West's strangest and most unlikely hero continues as Billy is confronted by a dark vision of the tornado gods he must eventually face if he is to complete his quest for vengeance. However, to get there, Billy needs help - a lot of help - and training from a very reluctant teacher. Does Billy have what it takes to realise his dream, or is he destined to meet a gruesome end at the hands of a seemingly endless horde of supernatural monsters?    I’m a sucker for a good western and then throw in the anthropomorphic aspect and suddenly a good story takes on a new meaning.  I like the idea of a bunny whom we don’t normally think of as ferocious animals taking on this quest of revenge for the death of his family and in the process becoming a fighter and one who relishes the battle has a much greater impact at least on me.  There is also something added to the creativity and imagination with this that pushes the boundaries of what we know and believe and that just adds to the intrigue, interest and engagement factors.    I’m a huge fan of the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented exceptionally well.  The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does this magnificent job in how we see their personalities grow and change.  The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story and the more we learn the more we want to see.    I’m really enjoying how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen.  I’m also a fan of the way that we see the layers opening up new avenues to be explored.  This is done through the backstory, the introduction of new characters and more add so much depth, dimension and complexity to the story.  How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.      I’m loving the way that we see the interiors here.  The linework is exquisite and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality in the attention to detail is breathtaking.  I do love that we see backgrounds being utilised to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  As I said the creativity and imagination here are off the charts and from the way they look, to how they dress to the visage of the demons and gods are all splendidly rendered.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling.  The colour work is bloody gorgeous!  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a phenomenal eye for how colour works and there are moments when the colour straight up pops as a result. ​    This is a classic Western in that a boy sees his family murdered and he takes up a quest for revenge, finds a mentor and a path which to follow.  Along the way he’ll face challenges that test his mettle, skill and determination and how we see this getting underway is simply brilliantly done.  The writing is sensational and the characterisation feels classic yet fresh and these interiors are a thing of beauty.  So grab some animal crackers and open this book up and find a new adventure that’ll transport you to some place you never knew you needed to be. 

[thatmasquedgirl]

Monsters in the Mirror Q&A

MONSTERS JUST TURNED 3 TODAY Y’ALL

In honor of this big event, I decided to answer a few questions about the Monsters series.  Here are the big ones--and some of the ones you sent in. :)

What was your inspiration for this fic?  How did it come to you?

I was on the way home from class.  At that time, my drive an hour and a half long, and I had some of my best ideas then.  I have no idea where it came from, but all I remember was asking myself, “What if Felicity was Deathstroke?”  The next thing I knew, I had an entire backstory for Felicity already written.

What’s your favorite part of the fic?

There’s a scene in “Well-Oiled Machine” that rarely gets noticed, but that I love.  It’s the one where Felicity is talking to “Bobby.”  It’s a very dark little scene, in that Felicity is more or less threatening this man with a smile on her face.  She may not use weapons to torture him, but there’s definitely some psychological torture going on there.  In that moment, she’s more vicious than Oliver.  I think it really shows the concept of her character and how dark she can really be sometimes.

What part of the fic are you most proud of?

The first scene of “Raining Pitchforks.”  It was at that point that I really took time to establish Felicity’s character; before that, I had no clue what I was doing.  So that was critical to everything that came afterward.  It was also damn hard to write because I was crying in agony the entire time.  When Felicity hurts, I hurt.

What part of the fic are you still dissatisfied with?

Just in general, I feel like there are some continuity issues that I really need to resolve.  Which I hope to do with a few more rewrites that I’d like to do this month.  As a whole, I’m really thrilled with the directions this universe has taken because it feels rich and exciting all the time to write in.

Who is your favorite character in the fic?

Felicity.  I am fascinated by her development from seemingly normal, pre-Japan Felicity to the woman we first saw in “Stroke of Luck.”  I’m equally obsessed with taking the woman we saw in “Stroke of Luck” and continuing her journey and character arc through the seasons.

Where there any major decisions you made about the fic that could have made it go a whole different direction?

Actually, no.  Monsters has been pretty much set in stone since the beginning.

Was there anything you only learned about the fic after you started posting it (themes, motifs, symbolism, etc.)?

Felicity’s swords kind of became the symbol of the past she clings to so desperately--for me at least.  She doesn’t move on from Japan; she holds onto it to the point of unhealthy obsession.  And I think that’s okay.  I think she deserves to wallow in it.  She deserves to be angry for this horrible thing that happened to her.  But I think eventually she’ll have to let go, in order to heal and progress.

Did anyone in this fic surprise me by doing anything?  If so, what?

It really surprised me that Tommy and McKenna had a past fling.  I didn’t expect that.  Nor did I plan for Felicity to wake up growling at Oliver in either version of “Stroke of Luck.”  There’s a plot point in Part 2 of “Rake the Ashes” that I didn’t expect to happen, as well (which we’ll talk about next Friday).  I didn’t plan to have Tommy and Felicity have that heart-to-heart in “Bite the Bullet.”  That just happened, and it filled a plot hole rather conveniently.

If you had to sum up this fic in a sentence, what would it be?

Oliver encounters the Vengeance of Starling while on a mission, and the two gradually blossom into a mutually beneficial--and supportive--partnership.

If you were to rewrite this fic, what would you change?

See for yourself.  I just reposted “Stroke of Luck” with new updates.

Did anything about this fic’s reception surprise me?

I thought it was a ridiculous idea as soon as I had it, but I decided to go with it.  That anyone read it at all is still a complete shock to me.  That people love it still blows my mind.

What were my beta’s major comments about the first draft of this fic?

I ran the concept of “Stroke of Luck” by @itwasaromanticoverture the first time, and she told me I should do the thing.  And when @bushlaboo looked over the revision for me, the response was pretty enthusiastic about the major changes.  She actually made the suggestion that lead to the decision to have Felicity come up fighting.  ElsieB was my beta for “Bite the Bullet,” and she seemed to enjoy it, despite the fact I threw 50 pages of fic at her with no warning.

If I were to write a Season 2 of this series, what would it entail?

I think there would be a major difference in Felicity as we progress.  Sara’s part in Season 2 would be important for Felicity and Oliver both.  And I honestly think I’d play up Isabel Rochev more than on the show, though not necessarily in the same ways.

What scene did you first put down?

The very first.  Usually the way I start is the way I finish.  If I write scenes out of order, they tend not to get finished.

What’s your favorite line of narration and dialogue?

Doing these together because they’re connected and both from “Rake the Ashes” today:

With the sweetest smile he’s ever seen, Felicity declares, “I’d go to war to save you, Oliver Queen.  Nothing in her expression makes him doubt that; that smile was made for battle.

What part was hardest to write?

The parts that aren’t finished yet.  I’m uncomfortable with how large my unfinished works are.  AO3 says I’ve published about 110k words.  My complete collection says I have about 170k--and that’s before all of “Rake the Ashes” goes in.  So there’s at least 60k words of Monsters that y’all haven’t seen yet.

What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

Honestly, I have no idea.  It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing, though.  I think it’s because I have a female character who is allowed to be angry.  She’s allowed to be dark and vulnerable and gritty and sad without anyone telling her she’s wrong.  Sometimes we all need to be those things.

Where did the title come from?

It actually comes from lyrics from two of my favorite songs, “Sleep” by My Chemical Romance and “The Devil in the Mirror” by Black Veil Brides.  To me, “Sleep” has always been a song that celebrates the darkness in all of us.  In a stark contrast, “The Devil in the Mirror” is about having that darkness, knowing it’s there, and fighting it to become something better.  I feel like those two things very much fit Oliver and Felicity in this universe.

Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

There was a very early version where Laurel discovered that Felicity was the Japan survivor and warned both Oliver and Tommy about Felicity’s background and how Donna tried to have her committed.  Much of her backstory would’ve been revealed at that time.  It was scrapped as other ideas evolved.  And besides, I can’t reveal too much at one time--I have issues with the Exposition Fairy suddenly visiting.

There was also a version where Oliver and Thea are eating at Big Belly Burger and run into Felicity and Roy there, and that’s how they initially meet.  I scrapped that one when “Well-Oiled Machine” came together.

What do you like best about this fic?

I love that Felicity, this normally bright and happy character in canon, is darker and grittier here.  It’s kind of cool because I try to mix in aspects of her canonical personality with this one, and it makes this really complicated set of layers to her.

One of the biggest reasons I keep coming back is that every addition just opens more doors.  Often times as a writer, the more I delve into a universe, the more rigid it becomes.  Possibilities are closed as the characters make choices, and the path becomes more and more clear.  The more trapped I feel, the less I want to work with it because it feels like I lose that creative freedom.

However, every time I step back into Monsters, it feels like the very first time.  Possibilities don’t close; they just continue to open.  And that freedom and excitement keeps me coming back to it.

What do you like least about this fic?

Writing the damn thing out of order.  There are so many continuity errors scattered around that it drives me bananas.

What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story?

Monsters has its own playlist on my iTunes.  Actually, it has several--I tend to create a new one every year, modify songs on it, update it with my purchases and favorites, and it evolves the same way the series does.

The Monsters 2018 playlist currently consists of 627 songs and that’s the smallest it’s been since its inception in 2015.  (It was 355 then, but to be fair, I didn’t start it until September or so.)

The music on it tends to be more metal and rock.  It isn’t a beautiful playlist by any means.  It’s gritty and dark, but there’s also some softness to it in places.

There’s an incomplete version of this playlist on Spotify, if you want to check it out.

Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

It’s okay to be broken.  It’s okay not to be perfect.  It’s okay not to feel like you’re enough.  It’s okay to be scarred.  If you keep fighting your demons long enough, you’ll eventually win, and you’ll be better for it.

Strength of character isn’t given.  It’s earned.

What did you learn from writing this fic?

Everyone is battling a monster in their mirror, but it doesn’t have to define you.  It can become the thing that shapes you into the person you need to be.

Submitted Questions

@imusuallyobsessed​ asked:  What are your hardest scenes to write and why?

My hardest scenes usually involve difficult situations or different character perspectives.  Fight scenes can be incredibly difficult sometimes, just because there’s so much motion and flow.  I tend to get in a panic writing them, so they come off hurried and sloppy.  Then I have to go back and make it resemble something like writing.

Certain perspectives are tough because I have trouble getting into some characters’ minds (which ties in with another question you asked).  John Diggle has to be the most difficult character perspective to write from.  There’s just something about how he presents himself that I always have trouble with.  But I never stop; I just torment myself with it.

@imusuallyobsessed​ asked:  What are your easiest scenes to write and why?

Surprisingly, some of my favorites are Felicity-perspective fight scenes.  I just said how I hate action, but when I’m in her perspective, it’s far easier to work with.  I have no idea why that is.

Also, Olicity banter comes from deep inside me.  Ninety percent of their time, their banter isn’t edited and is exactly what you end up reading in the finished product.

@imusuallyobsessed asked:  What are your hardest characters to write and why?

John Diggle is a freaking disaster.  Always.  There’s something about that man that keeps me from getting inside his head and conveying him the way I want to on paper.

Laurel Lance also tops that list, mainly because I dislike her canon characterization or lack thereof so much.  When I write her into a fic, I usually hollow her out to her basic, defining characteristics and build a new personality in there myself.  Usually I feel like she comes off one-dimensional anyway.

@imusuallyobsessed asked:  What are your easiest characters to write and why?

Tommy is one of my all-time faves.  He’s 100% unproblematic to write because he’s always going to react in certain ways and he doesn’t carry the baggage that burdens characters like Oliver and Felicity.

Roy is also up there on the list.  Roy Harper is the sass master of my heart.  He gets all the saltiest lines that I don’t get the chance to say in daily conversation.

Anonymous asked:  For #MITM, I know throughout the one shots we’ve seen a lot of UST, and when Felicity gets wounded badly, we find out they both love each other, but still don’t feel like they’re in a healthy enough place to be in a relationship.  Does that ever change?  Do they end up together?

Of course things change, and of course they end up together!  I know it doesn’t look like there’s method to my madness, but I have a general plot for at least five seasons in this universe.

I plan to take my time with this series, so if you’re looking for a quick resolution, you’re going to be disappointed.  Olicity has always been about the journey for me, instead of the destination.  If I didn’t want them to happen, I wouldn’t write them together.

I currently have Olicity plotted for Season 2, barring any unforeseen narratives, and I’d really like to put some quality time in on this universe this year.  I have too many words of fic hanging around unfinished.