#the Alfred stuff is some of my favourite stuff to write for...

[hedgehog-moss]

Loved your mentioning of learning poetry by heart: this is something I haven’t done since school! What are some of your favs that you’d suggest to ease my brain back into it?

(Française ici donc les options 🇫🇷 autant que anglais sont welcome :) merci!)

Hi :) You can look at the poem tag of my quote blog if you want—some of the ones I've learnt by heart (or excerpts from them) include this one by Sara Teasdale - Nanao Sakaki - Velimir Khlebnikov - Wallace Stevens - Rabindranath Tagore - Archibald Macleish - Howard Nemerov - and these paragraphs by Henri Peña-Ruiz which I consider prose poetry... My favourite French verses (from Corneille, Aragon, Anna de Noailles, Hugo, Valéry...) are all alexandrines and I find it to be the easiest type of verse to remember, as the structure is so rigorous and consistent. I sometimes translate English poems into alexandrines (like this one) to make them easier to learn in this more familiar form—I think even after all this time English prosody still feels foreign to me; the patterns of sound and rhythm in French are more deeply embedded in my brain so it can more easily predict what comes next...

Re: easing your brain into it, I guess that depends on your style of learning? For me the best way to learn a text is to spend time with it in written form, be it by translating it, or by writing it down by hand (slowly) and then (sometimes) keeping it for a while in a place where I often stand idle, like taped to my microwave so I re-read it as I wait 1 minute for something to heat up.

One thing I like about learning poems is that it's a costless, always-accessible way to get a sense of personal accomplishment. Beyond that, I've got three categories of poems I like to learn for different reasons—I'll go into some detail in case it can help you figure out what you're after :)

1. Classic poetry, because it's just fun to have little snippets of ancient tragedies or epic Victor Hugo poems living at the back of your mind and accompanying you through your own everyday tragedies—as an overdramatic person who tends to feel devastated or exasperated over tiny stuff, it helps me to take some distance from my feelings. Like if I spill a bucket of manure on my boots and my first reaction is rage and despair and my second thought is a couple of verses by Euripides where Iphigenia bemoans her relentless fate, it's a way to make fun of (and get over) myself.

My grandmother did this a lot, she knew so many poems by heart and often used them ironically. If I went whining to her when I was little she'd recite to me the last few verses of Alfred de Vigny's La Mort du Loup (it sounds better in the original but):

[...] With all your being you must strive To that highest degree of stoic pride [...] Weeping or praying—all this is in vain. You must instead shoulder your long and heavy task In the way that Destiny has seen fit to ask Then suffer and die without complaint.

(Let me tell you, that's just what a five-year-old wants to hear after scratching her knee at the park) But really I admired this treasury of poetry she carried within her, especially as she only went to school until age 14 and came upon most of it thanks to her own curiosity; as well as the way she used it playfully in everyday life, using dramatic classical verse to de-dramatise minor annoyances.

2. Nature poems are great in the opposite way, to magnify minor positive things :) Like seeing a fox and having a few lines by Mary Oliver come to mind, seeing a frog and thinking of that Basho haiku... I recently discovered Jean-Michel Maulpoix and I also love his nature poems, like 'The recovery of blue after a downpour', the way he describes snow melting in the spring, or golden-blue evenings:

[Snow] takes some time to leave, but delicately. She doesn’t insist, hardly persists, never roots… She gives way. No one else dies so merrily With such good humour Unmatched is her disdain for eternity…

L’azur, certains soirs, a des soins de vieil or. Le paysage est une icône. Il semble qu’au soleil couchant, le ciel qui se craquelle se reprenne un instant à croire à son bleu.

3. And then there are the poems that proudly serve no purpose. <3 I mean beyond distilling language in a beautiful way. No deep meaning—or no meaning at all, e.g. surrealist poetry. I learnt this passage from Les Champs magnétiques back in middle school:

La fenêtre creusée dans notre chair s'ouvre sur notre cœur. On y voit un immense lac où viennent se poser à midi des libellules mordorées et odorantes comme des pivoines. Quel est ce grand arbre où les animaux vont se regarder ? Il y a des siècles que nous lui versons à boire. . . Prisonniers des gouttes d'eau, nous ne sommes que des animaux perpétuels. . . Nous ne savons plus rien des astres morts ; nous regardons les visages. . . Quelquefois, le vent nous entoure de ses grandes mains froides et nous attache aux arbres découpés par le soleil.

—and I've often recited it to myself just to enjoy these gratuitously nice sentences that aren't here to deliver information. Like Kay Ryan said, "Poetry makes nothing happen. That's the relief of it." It's a nice break, a way to remember that communicating isn't all language is for; beyond the social dimension there's also an intimate one that relies on our own aesthetic sensitivity. Most of the time we look through language, to access ideas, meanwhile enjoying poetry means looking at language, for a change, appreciating it for itself.

I just realised I'm paraphrasing John Brehm here—in The Poetry of Impermanence he wrote something that can be read as an ode to learning things by heart:

When you read lines that seem especially lit up—that move or intrigue you in some way, or that are simply pleasing or even dazzling—don’t focus on being able to formulate a statement about what they might mean, as if you might be called upon to explain the poem, to yourself or to someone else. Just linger with those poems or passages that resonate with you. . . Rest your mind on them; let them live inside you.

[highlordofkrypton]

Thank you so much for the tag @zenkindoflove, I freaking love being tagged in writing games!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 32 (To think I started??? This year??? Or end of last year???)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 271,982

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR & DC Comics.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Regrets (Superbats, DC Comics)

Little Secrets for my Soul (Batjokes, DC Comics)

The Lighthouse (The Aquaman Family, DC Comics)

Wildflowers (Tamsand, A Court of Thorns and Roses)

The Justice League's Mom's Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying (Martha Kent, Alfred Pennyworth, Hippolyta & Atlanna, DC Comics)

5. Do you respond to comments? Always! My readers made the effort to comment on my fic, so I will absolutely respond with the utmost enthusiasm. It means the world to me when I get comments.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oh, it's absolutely Wildflowers. I mean, it's canon ending so does it really count?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I think most of them have happy endings, especially the oneshots. If they're not happy, they're some kind of tender, or sweet. I do think Regrets has the most upbeat ending.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. More and more lately. I would say I write the kind of smut that makes you question yourself (and I haven't even dived into the kinkiest kinks). Are you confused? Yes. Do you know what happened? No. Do I know what happened? No. Were we all entertained? HELL YES.

9. Do you write crossovers? I didn't name my blog home of the crackships for nothing. I LOVE crossovers. I have a few on my AO3, but so many on my to-write list.

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? No.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope! Not formally. I do roleplay with a partner. I tried to re-write one of ours as a fic, but it's soooo tricky.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? SUPERBATS SUPERBATS SUPERBATS. At least, if we're talking something that has a fandom. If we're talking my fav ships forreal, it's Lambert x Gojo Satoru x Clark Kent, Orm Marius x Clark Kent x Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen x Hal Jordan x Komand'r, Lilith x Eskel, etc.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? None that I know of. I usually circle back and/or can be swayed to finish one.

14. What are your writing strengths?

Details. I think I have a few. I get weird fixated on details that I think make the writing feel more 'lived in' and immersive.

Side characters. I think I'm very good at creating intriguing side characters that you'll get attached to. My trick is that the character is fully developed with their own story before they appear on my page. How else will I get their interactions down, even if it's for a chapter and they're never seen again?

Humour. I literally cannot be serious. I have to shitpost halfway through my story.

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  

Pacing. I am impatient, I wanna get to the juicy parts, but some stories need to cook a little before getting to the fun stuff. I tend to use the excuse that since it's fanfiction, I can #yolo and post.

I cannot write something short for the life of me. Everything needs to end up being multi-chapter, I'm TIRED.

Smut. It's not raw enough. It's not filthy enough. I need to let go and be less formal about it. Just dig right in and have a meatier writing. I just don't think my current style fits pure smut. It does fit trying to fuck an eldritch horror and soul-shattering orgasms tho 😂 But sometimes, I just wanna go to pound town, not achieve self-actualization through butt stuff, you know???

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I have some foreign words in my Illyrian fic, and I am fluent in french. I do hate seeing other people write dialogue in different languages SPECIFICALLY FRENCH, so I won't be doing that.

17. First fandom you wrote for? A Court of Thorns and Roses.

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? I have different favourite ones for different reasons.

I like cosmic bloom because it's unhinged smut.

I like Regrets because it's my first ever Superbats fic and got so many kudos!

I like Wildflowers because it's my first story I ever wrote from start to finish.

I like Needle & King because it's healing a lot of trauma to write it, and I get to discover my identity and explore lore/worldbuilding that I've been putting off for ages.

NO PRESSURE TAGS: @goldheartedchaoticdisaster @praetorqueenreyna @achaotichuman @arson-09 @unanswered-stars @matrixsss @watcherintheweyr @witch-and-her-witcher @chunkypossum @foxcort @positivelyruined @angelosearch @goforth-ladymidnight @themildestofwriters

[mysterycitrus]

i love your art! i’m just beginning to get into your fics and am loving your writing too. i am in awe of your many talents 💛 was wondering what comics you recommend for new-ish readers? i’ve read a couple batman&batfam books but want to know where to go next. what’s the good stuff, you know?

ahh hello!!! ty kindly hehehehe. if ur just starting out and want to focus on batman specific books thee most accessible and cohesive list to begin with would be batman year one > long halloween > dark victory > robin and batman > robin year one > batgirl year one. this will get u super familiar with the earlier players — bruce, alfred, dick, babs, and the rogues. some of the comics are worse or better than others but they’re also the most likely finds at a comic shop!!

after that it’s all about figuring out what character you gravitate towards. u can look at big events like no man’s land, knightfall, and bruce wayne murderer/fugitive, or team books like justice league international, new teen titans, and young justice. other batbooks id recommend would be a lonely place of dying (tims intro), batgirl 2000 (cass’s solo), gotham knights and the batman chronicles (particularly oracle year one), and worlds finest: teen titans (the new og teen titans book). robin son of batman is a great book for damian, and we are robin and batman and the signal are great intros to duke thomas if ur after something more recent.

that can be overwhelming tho! if ur after some light hearted comics that cover a broad range of characters tiny titans and lil gotham are also excellent — and can introduce u to the wider universe! a lot of new readers start with under the red hood or red robin 2009 which are like…. among the worst points of introduction. they rely on a lot of context for pre existing canon, and rr specifically is not reflective of the rest of tims comic run.

some of my other personal favourites are impulse 1995, black mirror, wonder woman historia, and gates of gotham. there’s so many great and innovative comics out there!! please don’t be afraid of how deep the water looks before u jump!!!!!!!

[mslorelina-blog]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

It was difficult to choose just five (in any of my works I can find something that I like), but here they are:

Children of tyrants - RoChu, Mature, historical hetalia, very modern timeline (late 2010s). This is something I'm most prouf of, considering the extent of research I did (had to become versed in chinese history almost from scratch...). There's a lot of RoChu works in Russian and English, but they rarely are something aside from just fluff and romance and they tend to avoid tackling controversial topics regarding Russia and China's relations in the past and present. So I decided to fix this situation.

Unexpressed - Amerus oneshot, explicit, 90s era, very triumphant Alfred and very confused Ivan. Wrote the entire fic for the last paragraph. It came out very accidental, I didn't do a huge research, was just writing a commission, and boom, this 4 pages sized piece became one of my favourite fics of all time. It seems like it's readers' favourite too.

Shards of Memories - my magnum opus; Rusame, Cold War setting with a retrospective of their relations since the XVIII century. Ivan and Alfred understand they've experienced a memory loss and decide to run away to unravel this mystery with KGB and CIA on their tail. Stopped writing this because of war, hope to get back to it soon, maybe in the end of this year <3

Ashes and Flame - historical Rusame, featuring the aftermath of 9/11 attack. Love this for the same reasons I love "Children of tyrants": had to do tons of research, learned a lot of new info, also writing about relatively modern events (especially revolving around Russia and USA) is always more exciting than about some old uncontroversial stuff.

The tale of the Feud and Loyalty - RusFin, mature, featuring Russia and Finland's relations from 15th to the beginning of 19th century (WIP). Arcticviolet's "Maiden and the Two-headed Eagle" introduced me to RusFin, AND I'M OBSESSED WITH IT SINCE THEN (recommend the work very much, go read it right now). Seriously, this ship is insanely historically-grounded, much more than lots of other popular ships, it's tragic and complex, it deserves more attention! Not to mention, Finnish history deserves more recognition. So here's my small contribution to RusFin fandom, complementary to arcticviolet's work.

[brianlesshetaliawritings]

🦋 Hello~

Could you do scenarios ; How the Hetalia guys would motivate and help with studying, basically making sure their S/O stay on top of school work. Any character is fine, you can pick, no pressure.

Tho speaking of who Is your favourite character? 🍬 you don’t have to answer if you’re uncomfortable it’s cool

America, China, Canada, and France helping/motivating their S/O with schoolwork

note: i’m sorry it took awhile, idk how to format it yet. oh also i couldn't finish canada since idk what to write for him (sorry again) my favorite character kinda depends on my mood but Hungary, Canada, and Switzerland are my top three.

America

He would try and help you study but sadly your face is too distracting for him.

So, he ends up just looking for articles or books that can help you.

America would force you on a burger break because while he cares for your education, your inner peace is more important to him.

He would hang out in the room you’re studying in, (or you're studying where he's working) occasionally looking over your shoulder to see what you’re doing. He always compliments your good work after checking too.

Alfred hugs your back, resting his head on your shoulder. “Lookin’ good, babe.” You can’t tell whether he said that to you, or if it was directed towards your work. Either way the statement is still flattering though. You look up at him to notice him looking right back at you. Alfred chuckles once you look back to your schoolwork.

China

China will be really helpful, he’d probably encourage note taking and other good methods to remember things.

He’d make you some tea, or just water if you dislike that. He doesn’t want you to forget about staying hydrated.

Wouldn’t distract you as much as some the others might, he finds your schoolwork to be very important.

Altogether very helpful, does his best to help you with it. He probably knows a lot too with how ancient he is.

"S/O, I made you some tea! This helps with memory so it should help you a lot." He smiles, placing the cup down gently for you. "Thank you." You sighed looking to him, you appreciated the stuff he did for you. It might not be much but it helps. He presses a soft kiss to your cheek, "Call for me if you need anything." then he leaves. Even if he never stays for long, it's still nice when he does check in on you.

Canada

He makes you some pancakes to eat while working, might even try to shape it into something cute like a heart for you.

Extra helpful if you’re writing something. I feel like that’d be his best subject.

The way he’d help with that is spelling corrections, telling you different ways to phrase something you said.

If it’s anything else he’s still helpful, mostly just there for moral support though.

(I WROTE SOMETHING HERE WHY THE FUCK DID IT DISSAPEAR?!?!??! i'm so sorry canada lovers but i aint rewriting that shit😭)

France

France is the classic "i will help you study!" but you end up getting nothing done because of him.

Keeps asking you to take a break, he's kind of needy about your affection. Will try and look sad if you say no, does his own version of puppy dog eyes.

Eventually he gives up and goes to at least make you a snack, you deserve it for being such a determined worker.

He'll come and go, definitely the least helpful but he is pretty fun so that kind of makes up for it.

"S/OOO~." He whispers in your ear, his persistence for your attention is starting to become sad with how desperate he's getting. Currently, your lovely boyfriend is trying to convince you how taking another break will help your work ethic. You love him loads but he's really time consuming. Sighing, you turn around and grab his shoulders. "Francis. If you give me another hour to work, I will go out and have dinner with you. Okay?" He seems pleased with this compromise, already going off to get ready and plan where you two will go.

[zahri-melitor]

Brucepoll. Okay, I am going to handicap myself in this one and make me keep it to actual work in the Batman title, I think, and only post-Crisis. So my first move is to define what periods each writer had on Batman and what's famous/I like from each:

James Tynion IV: v2 8-28, v3 85-117. And immediately I have no opinion as I haven't read any of his post Flashpoint Batman. Quickly scanning through I see he wrote The Joker War and Fear State.

My feelings on him: honestly I don't have any yet, this one it's going to be too hard for me to dip in and out of.

Tom King: v3 1-85. Same. I know he built up to Bruce and Selina marrying and then editorial required him to destroy that, but haven't touched any of this yet.

My feelings on him: I suspect I am actually going to enjoy this run from what other people have said and then I will feel betrayed (as other people were). The allure of lots of Bruce/Selina may pull me in though.

Scott Snyder: v2 1-51. Court of the Owls. How do you feel about the Court of the Owls. Because Snyder is gonna keep writing about them.

Oh Snyder. I think you write interesting Bruce, I just don't particularly like the Court.

Grant Morrison: 655-685, 701-702 (skipping the Dick!Bats stuff). Highlights of Morrison's run include Batman and Son (aka Heeeeere's Damian!), Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, the return of the Club of Heroes, Batman RIP, and the resurrection of the concept of Batman of Zurr-En-Arrh.

I am politely going to not swear in public, but uh I don't think Morrison writes particularly good Bruce. Also he's the architect of all the 'actually Bruce has been dividing his personality up into separate mind palaces that come out when he activates them for various reasons' and while that is indeed incredibly Brucelike I'm not too fond of what it's done to Batman storytelling.

Judd Winick: 626-650 (also skipping Dick!Bats). Obviously, Under the Red Hood. Other stuff in his run includes War Games and the storyline where Tim's undercover as Caroline Hill.

Winick really likes conflicted, judgmental, my-way-or-the-highway Bruce a lot. And there aren't any real soft edges to his Bruce. Not my favourite.

Jeph Loeb: 608-619. This means the only Loeb in play for my rating is Hush. Fascinating Loeb never wrote another Batman or 'Tec run (he does have The Long Halloween of course).

Putting aside my feelings about Thomas Elliot, I actually like the way Loeb wrote Bruce in Hush? It spends a lot of time reflecting on his analysis skills and his connections and his detective work.

Ed Brubaker: 582-586, 591-607. The lead into Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive and the title itself. The complementary half to Rucka's overlapping 'Tec run.

Oooh. Brubaker gets Bruce during a period where he's trying to isolate himself, but he also writes how Bruce has trouble with that. He's got some great character piece work in this, and solid detective problem-solving storytelling. He wrote the 'I am Bruce Wayne' revelation.

Doug Moench: 481-559. The most famous highlights of this period are writing the Batman issues for the entirety of Knightfall/Knightquest/Knightsend, Prodigal, Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm and Aftershock. (Moench also wrote basically all of pre-Crisis Jason Todd period)

How do you even encapsulate what Moench did over this period? He broke Bruce all the way down and built him back up. He wrote Bruce building back to having a family and connections. He wrote Alfred's return. He's never hugely stood out for me as a writer during this period though - he's just there. I often have to check covers to see who was writing for his stories.

Alan Grant: 448-449, 455-480. This basically covers Tim's novice period. It's bookended by Batman: Identity Crisis at one end and To the Father I Never Knew at the other.

So flipping through these my first memory is "there is a LOT of Harold in this" and there's a bunch of Batman-'Tec crossovers to tell 4 issue stories. I really enjoy Grant's character work. A lot of the great stuff in his run is about his relationships with others - particularly Tim, Alfred and Harold. I have to say, though, a lot of my preferred Bruce writing from Grant is actually in Shadow of the Bat.

Frank Miller: 404-407 Okay, restricting this LITERALLY only gives Batman Year One. This is fascinating because I think every single comics person seeing the words 'Frank Miller' and 'Batman' either thinks of ASBAR or Dark Knight Returns.

If you're going to read a Batman Miller story, this is the one to read, no question. It's the origin of so much gritty Batman and it gets referenced a lot, but it's nowhere near as grimdark as other Miller pieces.

[kitaychan]

Tag Game To Better Know You! Send this to people you’d like to know better!

Thank you @fizzycherrycola  for tagging me! <3

What book are you currently reading?

I'm still making my way through "The vortex" by José Eustacio Rivera. The book is a classic in here and it has amazing descriptions of the amazonian rainforest but I always forget where I leave the book lol but I'm close to end!

What’s your favourite movie you saw in theatres this year?

The Batman! I loooove Batman and I was astonished with Robert Pattinson's take on the character and Paul Dano did an excellent job as The riddler!

What do you usually wear?

I wear a lot of dresses and big coats, they're comfy and look cute, I also lean to soft colors though lately I've been buying more green clothes...

How tall are you?

I'm the tallest in my family, but people here are not so tall...

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

Cancer. My birthday is on independence day, so it's annoying at times, but it's always festive!

Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

Ilich is a nickname, but irl I just go by my name.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

Haha no. When I was a child I wanted to be an astronaut which is nearly impossible in a country that has no space program. Though I am happy with what I am now.

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

I am 🥰

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

I am very good at swimming! I used to take lessons and all, but I am very bad at the trademark sports here like soccer and cycling.

Dogs or cats?

Cats!

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favourite picture/favourite line/favourite etc. from something you created this year?

I really liked this part of Together, I had fun researching about how outer space looks like and idk that part always gets me.

Everything seemed to work normally. Alfred lost count of how much time had passed, days, nights, it was hard to tell after they crossed by the Andromeda Galaxy, clouds of nebulae and a foreign web of constellations displayed an overwhelming number of suns, leaving them with the knowledge of how small the spiral-like Milky Way actually was.

There was a pause and shake of their heads every time the system marked a break on the distance from home. An infinite path strayed from their calculations, from their lifespans, but the prospect of a finish line for their journey didn't comfort them either.

In a surge of boredom, Alfred turned off the gravity inside, they seemed astonished at first. Wang had tried to turn it back on, but he had shoved him away and a childish game of tag started. It was strange, how unprofessional this was, how they were wasting time and energy on something so… human.

Alfred laughed, even when he knew they couldn't hear him, that they couldn't see his smile through the helmet, and it was… nice, for a while, but his laughter turned into sobs.

They were together, but not really.

What’s something you would like to create content for?

I think I'm happy with what I've done, and instead of creating new stuff I'd stop doing it, I want to finish my stories and take a break.

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

Cooking, this year I'm the one preparing the Christmas dinner and I've been practicing and planning what to do. Some of my family is coming over too so Idk I'm a bit nervous with that haha

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

The Wakanda forever movie, there's something about how they handled having two powerful nations/empires and putting them against each other that simply disappointed me... It's a good movie but idk what I was expecting.

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

Hmm I've been crocheting lately and it's getting better haha

Are you religious?    

I'd like to say no but I'm constantly catching myself for assuming that some traditions here (that are heavily catholic) are also usual in other places, so that makes me go 🤔🤔

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

Ahh I need some nice buñuelos (a pastry), in fact I think I'll get some of those on my way home.

I'm tagging @fireandiceland @magictrio1118 @darcymariaphoster and @crumpled--notes if you want to~

[notajinn]

Top Games Played in 2023 - Number 2: Fire Emblem Engage

2. Fire Emblem Engage (Switch)

Fire Emblem Engage was the first game in the series I was straight up disappointed to see announced. The main character looked awful, and the tone felt way too young. I figured this was going to be my least favourite Fire Emblem game.

But once I actually played it, I realized it was surprisingly good.

What I Like

Engage is basically the opposite of Fire Emblem Three Houses in terms of where it excels and where it fails. Three Houses has unremarkable maps and combat gameplay, so Engage has some of the best maps in the series! Seriously, this game made me remember the combat in Fire Emblem is supposed to be fun and not just something you push through to get to the story. There's multiple different map designs, different objectives than just "kill the boss/all enemies", and great enemy placement. They also brought back the Weapon Triangle which was inexplicably missing in Three Houses.

I also really like the Emblem specific maps brought from previous games in the series. Some of them are weird choices (Lyn's is from Binding Blade even though she's not in that game) but they're all fun to play. It's also interesting to see how maps designed for different combat systems are adapted for Engage, especially the large map of Genealogy of the Holy War.

And while the general story and writing of Engage does not live up the 3H, there are some really good characters and pieces of writing in this game. A lot of it is in later Support conversations and further in the story, so it really does get better as you go.

In particular this has my favourite version of the series mascot Anna; they turned her into a child but kept her as a crafty merchant.

Re-classing seems less broken than some other games, especially because permanent skills aren't unlocked through it. So it's really a case of what class you want (or possibly what growth rates you want) rather than pushing through a mediocre class for a good skill. I also appreciate that no one class seems to be the best like the Wyvern Lord in 3H.

Instead skills aren't learned through the Emblem rings, which act as equipment you can put onto a character as needed. However you get certain great passive and active abilities from wearing them that you can't ever permanently learn otherwise, so there's a strategy in deciding which Emblem to equip on which character.

The in-between home base sections are very streamlined and can be finished much quicker than previous games.

It's also nice to see the classic characters with current gen Switch graphics. Speaking of graphics, they are a HUGE step up from 3D. Plus this game has a much more vibrant colour scheme.

Engage also has by FAR the best combat animations of the series since the GBA days. It really feels like they're trying to adapt those animations with how lively the characters move. There's also cool small touches such as low level characters doing dodge animations when the enemy misses, but high level characters deflecting the attack when it misses.

There's also a cool new class where the character rides a wolf and fights with a knife. That's like objectively cool. And the wolf does flips!

What I Don't Like

As I mentioned before, Engage does not have great writing most of the time. The story is pretty average, and a lot of the characters are just fine. Even the good ones like Alfred often need some investment into Support conversations before they really shine, writing wise.

Some of the Emblems in particular just feel out of character and very one-note. Lyn gets this the worst given originally she's a reckless person focused on family and revenge as well as her homeland. Here she just...talks about her homeland. None of the other stuff.

The game also makes a horrible first impression. Not just the trailer. Not just the cheesy Saturday morning cartoon theme song (which I like but not for a Fire Emblem game). But the initial few chapters have you with just the ugly main character and two annoying same-looking kids. It takes some time to get going, and I can see people drop it before getting that far.

You also have the ability to unlock outfits, but they only show up during the home-base. So they are basically pointless.

One MAJOR and inexplicable negative is that there are no paired endings except for the main character. Practically every Fire Emblem game since they started releasing in the West have had paired endings, so it's really weird they're missing here. I want to ship some of these characters, and the supports make it seem like they should end up together, but too bad for me.

Final Thoughts

Fire Emblem Engage feels like a return to form after the unusual (but great) departure of Three Houses. As someone who was worried the future of the series wouldn't return to these gameplay highs, I'm glad to be proven wrong. I just wish it had a better looking main character and general introduction so people didn't dismiss the game.

[samrut]

*cracks knuckles* I’m about to order in bulk (regarding that writing asks you reblogged)

Can you please answer questions….

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please and thank you! ^u^

Order Up!

[Sorry if I missed some.]

Favorite character to write?

Alfred is the easiest for me, but I am unsure if he is my favorite. It depends on the fic. I like writing for Ivan, Arthur, Tolys, and Feliks. 

What character is the most challenging to write?

Of the characters I have written, Kiku, Ludwig, and Romano I'd say, are most difficult for me.

What do you keep in mind when writing a particular character?

The character's core values, beliefs, and personal mission statement.

What is your process when writing?

Lately, I've been making outlines. One for the overall story, and then an outline for each individual chapter—although I don't always follow it.

Strange things you've had to research for Hetalia fanfiction?

How long it takes to go blind without eyelids.

Other things like that . . .

Any fic writers that inspire you or you look up to?

There are so many awesome fic writers. I've been reading through Fhujeth's works recently. Dialogue is so good.

What fic is your favourite? Which one do you want to disown?

My favorites of my works are Tag, Hotel Roommates, Rumor, and Return from the Void. Most of them are RusAme. I enjoyed the process of writing all of them, and they are complete.

Blood Splattered Banner I'd gladly disown. It was my first ever fic. It reeks of old fandom and teenage angst.

Where do you find inspiration?

I do not look for inspiration. It finds me. 

What frustrates you about writing for the fandom?

Nothing really. I do wish some ships were more popular, but it doesn't bug me much. I write mainly for myself and to vent.

Have you written anything you would have never thought you would write in a million years?

I've written some pretty strange things. Nothing surprises me at this point. 😆

Any Hetalia AUs that live rent free in your head?

So many! 

I pretty much only write AUs. Anything with fantasy, the supernatural, or fairytale/folklore is always swimming around in my brain. I am an AU generator, I swear.

What headcanons are essential in your writing?

For my Canon Divergence works I have so many headcanons. I'd say the core essential is that the Nation's are poster children and seen as international celebrities. They don't have much say in government or anything like that.

They kind of just do what they are told to do by their bosses and don't really have a say.

Have you written Nyotalia, Gakuen Hetalia, 2p etc?

Yes. I've written Nyotalia characters a few times, and 2p!Can. Very little, though.

What makes your characterizations different than others?

I don't restrict my characterizations. They vary depending on the fic. 

Do you have playlists or character boards for inspiration?

Not really. I have a small Tolys playlist, but I rarely listen to music when I write.

How do you feel about using accents in fics?

I used to use them in my early writing, but not anymore. I sometimes mention that a character has a specific accent, but I no longer write dialogue that way. I don't feel it is necessary.

How do you feel about using foreign language in fics?

I do not mind it, as long as it isn't overdone. A word here or there is fine, like pet names or a greeting. 

Best writing advice you can give.

Write for yourself, not for others. Don't hyper-focus on your fic statistics. 

How would you define your writing style?

I am not sure how to describe it. Freeform? I don't follow 'proper' writing rules or anything.

My stuff is normally pretty dark and unsavory.

Favourite line in a fic?

These jumped out at me;

[Downpour]

"It's fine. Besides him violently fucking me with his massive horse dong, he really wasn't that bad. He was sort of nice, for a sadist."

[Hotel Roommates- I enjoyed writing the dialogue for this one. Has some funny lines.]

"Please, may I have a wee bit of wa'aa milord?" mocked Jones, "the thurst is causing me frail Bri'ish body chew wilt."

and

"Ivan gave you a love tap, and you nearly exploded," Alfred said.

[quotidian-oblivion]

Which of your Fics

Aaaaaaand another tag game which I found while binging through the writer tag game tag!

Which fic did you think would get a bigger reaction/audience than it got?

The most recent one - Greet Me With Open Arms cuz it was a requests fic where I asked people to give me dialogue prompts to use in a single fic. But then again, I posted it just yesterday. I'm just really excited about it and wanna know what people (especially those who put their dialogue prompts requests) think of it.

Which fic got a better reaction than you expected?

The Boy In The Cell, quite honestly. Cuz I thought people would ignore it due to how self-indulgent it was, but so many liked it! Thanks, you guys ^^

Which fic is your funniest?

Based on the comments, Phone Alarms. Quite proud of that one ^.^

Is your darkest/angstiest?

Ahh. Either The Boy In The Cell or There’s So Much Hurt (you can already tell by the title XD) These two cuz they cover darker topics like abuse and stuff. But if you count all the fics including the wips, then definitely this one wip i'm working on which is... pretty b a d. I mean, not the plot, the plot and characters and stuff is awesome! But in terms of rating the angst, its like- up there.

Is your absolute favourite?

Ahh. It depends on my mood, really. Sometimes I say My School’s Local Mafia Boss, sometimes Sometimes You Have To Find Your Own Genes, sometimes a couple of my wips (cuz fbhic i love the plots i've created for them like- bhfvifubhu). But right now? I'm saying I Feel More Than A Simple "Miss You" just cuz I put so much care into it, more than any other oneshot I've ever written.

Is your least favourite?

A Day In The Life Of Tim Drake. No hesitation. It's my first fic. Ok- sometimes, i am proud of it. But most times, nah. Cuz I wrote this on a whim bc i didnt like the thought of having an empty ao3 account and i did not think i would be actually writing fanfiction regularly. But here i am!

Which was the easiest to write?

I... don't know? I wouldn't be writing fanfic, or writing at all period. So I'm gonna say all of them.

The hardest?

As i said, I wouldn't be writing at all if it was hard so i'm gonna say non- NO. WAIT. THERE IS TWO.

Murder On The Stalker’s Turf and I Can See You. Cuz these were casefics and i was writing these while trying to get back into the flow of writing after a particularly hard and taxing writer's block.

Which fic has your favourite line/paragraph?

AHHHHHHHHHHHH WHY THIS QUESTION? DFHIUBF I'M SO INDECISIVE

OK. OK. SO I NARROWED IT DOWN TO THREE:

There’s So Much Hurt (both of them)

“You’re my son, Jason,” Bruce carried on. “Do you think that when you brought Tim over and started calling him your little brother, I wouldn’t start mentioning him as my son too?”

&

Alfred tightened the bandages that had loosened and continued wrapping. At some point, Tim whimpered loudly in pain and squeezed Dick's hand so hard that both their knuckles went white. Jason swept a strand sticking into his baby brother's eye. "I know. I know it hurts, Timbit. I'm sorry." "Jason," the little bird said weakly. "Ouch." Jason smiled smally. "Yeah, bud. Major ouch."

Let Them Be Siblings

Steph blinked twice again. Then she rubbed her eyes tiredly and muttered, "Lord, please bless me some fucks to deal with this bullshit."

which fic have you re-read the most?

My School’s Local Mafia Boss No hesitation. One, to refer back to it while writing the series. Two, cuz I write fics for me first and foremost and so i very much love this fic and reread it quite a lot. Three, i cant believe how much attention its getting! why- ohh that's why, yep. And four, I'm feeling nostalgic and I want to visit the place where I made most of my current friends.

Which one would i recommend to someone reading your work for the first time?

Phone Alarms ig? Cuz it's really chill and cracky and I'm really proud of it. But if we're including wips, then I would rec the Bruce Wayne Writes Fanfic AU first XD

the one you’re most proud of?

Isn't this sort of similar to the favorite one? At least it is to me. Still keeping this question if other people wanna do this question.

No pressure tags: @uncertainwallflower @sardonic-sprite @tristicorde @wakkoroni @blightwritesfic @pevensiechase @ah0yh0y @foursixtwonineoh-pieces-of-lego + anyone else who wants to join

[hiero-green]

Top 5 Batman portrayals? 👁️🫦👁️💕

OOOO OK OK

So Misha said they don’t have to be live action portrayals so there’s a mix in here! This was also SUPER HARD TO CHOOSE so for the record these aren’t so much ranked as they are a nebulous cloud of a top 5

Kevin Conroy in B:TAS/TNBA/JL. This was probably pretty predictable. Come on. He’s first voice I hear in my head while thinking about Batman (a close second tho actually is something like his voice in Arkham Origins and the Hush movie! Idk their actors tho) and he played one of if not the most important Batman portrayals ever. To get NUANCED about this briefly, I do have issues with the DCAU’s later writing for Bruce, namely how everything about him seems to get so grimdark and edgy compared to his warmth and gentleness in B:TAS BUT how and ever SO. Kevin Conroy king forever 👑

Robert Pattinson in The Batman. You know I love me my Rpatz. I can absolutely understand why he might not be someone’s favourite, especially if they’re a fan of the classic depiction of Bruce, but what I really love about him (and this extends to Riddler too!) is that despite being different in some ways on the surface, all his traits ultimately come from the same core character and experience as depictions that feature more galas, swimwear models and ski trips in the Alps Brucie Waynes. He’s both a very grounded depiction of a deeply troubled man yet he toes the line between the “realism” of ‘verses like the Nolanverse and more camp superhero stuff so well and he has so much potential for his sequel, as well as of course giving us the chance to see him be a detective!! Finally!! To mention Robert himself then, he did such an amazing job playing Bruce. I love Robert Pattinson, I really do, I seek out movies with him in them, and still every time I see him in a movie, Rob completely melts away and it’s just… the character. There truly are few actors I can say that about, but I feel it so strongly for him, and his Batman portrayal was no different. (Also autidm bruce yuh). I also love his dynamic with Jim, Rob and Jeffrey are so good together.

Bruce in Batman: The Imposter. A non-actor one on here! Admittedly I don’t read as many comics as I’d like, but Batman: The Imposter was one I had to buy in May after seeing The Batman and having it recommended to me. For a lot of the same reasons I like The Batman 2022 Bruce, I like B:TI Bruce. I find with him that there’s such a… a softness to him. When he’s Bruce, there’s such a quietness, almost a meekness to him. He really reads as very pained but still somehow managing to find a kindness in his heart, even when he’s so isolated from the world. I also think it’s interesting — if slightly concerning — that Alfred is pretty much gone from Bruce’s life. A while after Bruce comes into Alfred’s care as a child, Alfred can’t handle him anymore, sends him off to boarding school, and dips from the Wayne family completely. Absolute worst Alfred I’ve ever seen, we do not stan. BUT my point is that, while I feel like there’s a chance the author wrote Bruce to be alone for the sake of cliche lone wolf edgelord, it just makes his shy nature outside of the Batman suit stand out to me more. Even so alone, he hasn’t lost hope. And. The page where he’s talking about his effect on Gotham, and he sheds a tear from under the cowl. Yeah. Yeah it got to me. Also! He’s the closest we have to a canonically autistic Bruce!

David Mazouz in Gotham. Okay. Okay. Gotham is not well-written, nor do I like the fact that Bruce plays a part in the show at all, I don’t like him being on a path to Batman from the moment his parents die. HOWEVER. I think David is a fantastic depiction of a young, struggling to grieve, anger-filled, doesn’t-want-to-feel-powerless Bruce. He’s a kid trying to understand himself and the world that’s been turned upside down on him, and David portrays a great balance of innocence and blooming maturity. Also, the older he gets, the more he looks like a perfect Bruce I swear to god. Even if I don’t like Bruce’s role in the show, I always thought David Mazouz was a great fit.

Bruce in The Batman 2004 cartoon. This one’s just fun. They don’t really touch on the darker aspects of him and they don’t mention his parents much at all (they don’t pretend they never died, but they’re very *very* vague and rare about their mentions of them) but I just think he’s really fun. He’s young and energetic but he’s not a party animal, and I think he’s interesting as a,, surprisingly stable Bruce. He also doesn’t have as much separation between Batman —> Bruce and Bruce —> Brucie as other depictions which I think is interesting! He feels very genuine and always like himself, but they’re also not afraid to show him being self-destructive or neglecting his needs for his work.

BONUS MENTION BECAUSE I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS: Ben Affleck in the DCEU. Okay okay OKAY I do not like the DCEU. I really don’t, and I think Bruce is grievously miswritten (???) in BvS. But. Ben deserved better. I can very easily see him as Bruce. I think he makes a very good older Bruce, AND he was great in the party scene in BvS where he meets Clark and they butt heads. Same as with Henry Cavill, they deserved to play better written versions of their characters.

Thank you for the thought provoking ask, Mish!!!!

[koolkat9]

What are some of the longest fanfics you've read? And do you recommend any of them?

I usually don't have the time to properly sit down for long fics, and usually I forget to come back to them if I leave them. But I do have a few and some of them are my absolute favourites.

My first really long fic I've probably ever read was the famous "Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart."

At the time I thought it was really good, but I remember nothing about it other than Feli was a resistance fighter and it took place during WWII. I don't feel comfortable recommending it because I don't like to touch anything taking place during WWII when Ludwig is involved. Plus I don't remember much about it anyway.

My favourite fic EVER: "Are Friends Electric"

I can't recommend it enough. Even if you don't really ship GerEng, Teethhoarder has a lovely writing style. Writes relationships so well, both romantic and platonic. And their characterization is just *chefs kiss*. And the feels oh the feels. But its also satisfying and I love it to bits.

My favourite omegaverse fic: "Unfortunately, You Can't"

Ugh. If you ever want a good omegaverse fic with an engaging plot and interesting character reflection, this is it. As most of you know I don't particularly care for Gerita, but this is an exception. Ludwig has a whole self acceptance arc that's everything to me. And it still has the fun sex stuff omegaverse is known for. There are sex scenes so just be aware of that.

I don't know if you strictly wanted finished fics, but I'm going to end off with probably my second favourite fic of all time "Can I Stay for a Year or Two"

The BEST slow burn I've ever read. Slow burns always annoyed me because more often than not, the slow burn goes on for too long. Stupid excuses, plot convenient interruptions that didn't need to be there often pad it out until its gets annoying and I want to rage quit.

But not this fic. Sunnylolli uses Arthur and particularly Alfred's stubbornness to their advantage to draw out why the two don't just talk and hug things out like you crave them to do. And unlike with most slow burns where I feel you get to the point with all the excuses and interruptions that the relationship is no longer moving forward until the big grand confession. CISFYOT feels like we're making at least a little progress every chapter. Finding more about the characters, what they're going through and getting moments of comfort that are only temporary at the time, but feel they contribute to the healing journey in this fic. I can't wait to see how the rest goes. It's everything I've wanted in a platonic Al and Art fic.

[laufire]

I have no idea where current comics sit on this (I am NOT kidding when I say I haven't paid attention to what's going on with comics in years... I'm finding out so much stuff just this week asñdlfajsf). but the more I think about it, the more I actually... like the idea of a permanently death Alfred in the main continuity.

for one. I know it sounds off coming from me, given my love for resurrection plots AND who my favourite dc character is LOL, but. I think it's good for some comics death to be permanent. especially at this point and especially with the bats, for whom death has become supremely cheap, IMO. this one death can be something that shooks them and changes them for good, instead of the revolving routine they seemed stuck with.

the thing here is that I personally would've made it a death by natural causes (one of the things I found out this week is that it was Bane who killed Alfred). something slow and painful and unfixable even for superheroes like them. something bittersweet with emphasis on the bitter because yes, Alfred's had a long life. but there's still so much he wants to do and see, especially with so many of the people he loves being kids with their lives ahead of them, who will need and miss his guidance.

I think that could've been a really interesting writing choice, personally.

(but also if you can kill Alfred in the main continuity you can kill the gazillion clowns currently running through Gotham, okay?? xDD)

[irregularjohnnywiggins]

Hey there. I was scrolling through tags and found your post where you talk about your version of the DCU and since I don't know how to use tumblr well, I was wondering if you had written anything else about Wintergreen being the evil Supervillian. That's a head cannon I've never heard, and I'd love to hear more if you have anything =D

I'd love to! Although, full disclosure, this is entirely unfounded and I haven't actually read much of Wintergreen, so apologies if this contradicts anything established about ol' Billy's past.

Basically the idea behind this is a simple one - Billy Wintergreen and Alfred Pennyworth were old friends from their days in the British secret service, something I don't know was ever established in comics but I just know is true. Whilst they were on a mission, the two of them shared there plans for what they intended to do in civilian life, both agreeing that, whilst they could certainly amount any degree of wealth using the skills they had learnt, the mere act of possessing great wealth was too much of a lure, and that it would be infinitely better to become the right-hand man of some wealthy plutocrat or criminal - "It is better to be a Watson than a Holmes, a Moran than a Moriarty", as Pennyworth put it.

After their time in the service came to an end, the two went their seperate ways. Alfred became a butler to the Wayne family, intending to enact the same plan he and Wintergreen had discussed. He failed to account for one thing - that Martha Kane, younger sister to a black ops marine and heir to a great deal more than a fortune, was just as sharp and perceptive as her son would grow up to be, and she quickly cottoned on to his game, allowing him to continue as butler only to keep a firmer eye on him. After several years, with the birth of Bruce, Alfred forgot all about his former ambitions and committed himself fully to his role as his ward's protector.

William Wintergreen, however, committed himself further to the plan. In the years between the mission with Pennyworth and a quitting the service, he had found a calling in wetwork - assassinations, interrogations, threats, you name it, Wintergreen reveled in it. Pennyworth may have removed the Demon's Head in his last great mission for the service, but Wintergreen began seeking them out, hoping for a place at the eternal Ra's al Ghul's side. It was in Iraq, searching for leads about the League, that Wintergreen met Slade Wilson for the first time. Slade was fascinating - a man with a darkly cynical viewpoint on life, a skillset that made him one of the most dangerous soldiers on the planet, and a serum in his body that enhanced his reflexes, agility and strength to near-superhuman levels. Wintergreen could hardly resist.

It was relatively simple, in the end. Slade's viewpoint was shaped by the contrast between the contradictions of the Iraq War - it was a viewpoint that placed all those who fought for a cause - on both sides - as wretched fools, with Slade being the only one smart enough to see the big picture. To such a worldview, it was easy to believe a weakling held captive by the enemy could want to work alongside Slade out of some misplaced sense of loyalty and debt. The only true flaw was Adeline Kane, who grew suspicious of her husband's moonlighting adventures as Deathstroke the Terminator - a truly dreadful epithet, but one Slade had insisted upon - but that was a simple matter to correct: William Walsh owed Wintergreen a favour, and it was a relatively simple matter to arrange for the kidnapping of Joey Wilson. So now Wintergreen had an easily manipulatable supersoldier, an endless possibility of people willing to hire an assassin, and no real connection to him but that of a bumbling fool trying to temper his employers worst impulses. All in all, things were looking up for William Randolph Wintergreen. Until, that is, they accept a contract inside Gotham City, and William runs into an old friend...

(It should be noted that all of this is backstory that's not strictly relevant - the main purpose of Deathstroke and Wintergreen's appearances in the Batman thing proper is so Bruce can deduce Wintergreen is the brains behind the operation, then recognise that a lot of the manipulation tactics Billy uses are things Alfred uses for much more tame things, and then put two and two together and have a minor crisis with imagining how far back this goes. The general thrust of this entire arc is that, when a certain old enemy of Alfred's I mentioned here shows up, Bruce is more tempted by his offer than he is in most other versions...)

[jolie-goes-downton]

hmmm, it is a very obvious focus in on Thomas's story-line for this new trailer particularly the way they cut Isobel's words and then the possible love triangle (which I think may be misleading anyway but that seems to be the message they are selling here). They waited until closer to release date to make Thomas's story-line more obvious even if they are still only showing microseconds...

I agree, Anon, that - much to the completely justified frustration of the fans of the other downstairs characters and couples - Thomas seems to be getting quite a bit of attention in the promo stuff at the moment.

For some more speculation on Thomas’ storyline, it might be worth looking a bit at Julian Fellowes’ favourite topics apart from romance.

One recurring theme in Downton is what I’ll call the Happy Servant - JF’s curiously revisionist insistence that servants were actually happy to be servants and couldn’t imagine leaving their employers to fend for themselves, even at the expense of their own private happiness and plans and dreams.

We know this to be untrue historically - the vast majority of servants were female and were servants only until they got married, and many, many couldn’t wait to find a man and leave. After WW1, servants were also increasingly looked down upon by other members of the working class, as supposedly either lacking in skills or ambition to find anything better. The lifelong servant who was proud to be almost as good as a family member to their employer and who had no wish or need to have a life of their own was a construct of Victorian propaganda rather than a common reality.

Now, people in Downton do break out of that pattern sometimes. Gwen did in S1, Alfred did in S4, Molesley is still in two minds but may manage it one day, Andy likewise. But the characters that we’re really invested in? The core cast? Nope, not happening. There was a deleted scene in the first movie where the Bateses basically agreed to put off their B & B project indefinitely. And Thomas, who has tried the hardest of them all to get away, has had the least success. He’s carved out his niche now, Downton is his home, he’s doing well in his job and people respect him, even tolerate his sexuality��� so it’s pretty clear he’s destined to grow old and grey in loyal service to the Crawleys. Or is he?

What if Thomas’ new storyline opens up the possibility of leaving Downton after all? What if Dominic West’s character (Guy Dexter) specifically shows him a way out of service into a different career, presumably in the famously liberal film industry? What if the trailer scene that we mostly interpret as Guy Dexter hitting on Thomas Barrow as a potential love interest is really just a job offer, coupled with a secret, conspiratorial reassurance along the lines of “Don’t worry, mate, men like us can make it there and have a lot of fun, too, more than you can have here”?

Then the question of course becomes, what will Thomas do? Will he up and leave, ready for a new adventure? Or will he, after some angsty deliberation, decide to remain a Happy Servant, because the butler of Downton (possibly the last butler of Downton) can’t let the Crawleys down like that? It’s still JF writing this show, remember. So I know which result my money is on, much as the concept of the Happy Servant as such makes me uncomfortable.

So maybe that’s what we’ll see, Thomas sorely tempted to throw in the towel (or the silver polishing cloth) for good, either as Guy Dexter’s romantic partner or just under his professional tutelage, but then turning the opportunity down at the eleventh hour to stay at Downton after all, because it’s what he knows and likes and because it’s what we know and like and because anything else would upset the balance of JF’s universe too badly.

(As a matter of purely personal preference , my favourite variation of this scenario would be Guy Dexter actually pretending to offer professional tutelage while the only thing he really wants is to get into Thomas’ knickers, which Thomas then realises just in time before he makes the disastrous decision to throw away all the security he has and to bind himself to a man who just wants to use him.)

The one advantage that the Thomas Stays a Happy Servant storyline undoubtedly has is that it would leave the back door into Barris territory wide open. I mean, what better reason could Thomas have not to run off and try having a glitzy life in Hollywood, if we’re to believe that he shouldn’t? How much stronger as a motivation would that be, compared to loyalty to the Crawleys?

[dr-george-ordell]

Released/Planned Chapters of: Short Tales, Stories of the Foundation, and Hetalia

This is just a list containing information about the chapters of my oneshot series on Ao3, will be updated when a new chapter is in the process of being written/updated.

Ch.1: The Storage Room

First oneshot I've written of this series, not my best but I enjoyed it,

Ch.2: Erised (NOT CANNON)

Wrote this one after re-reading the first Harry Potter book

Ch.3: Sleep and Malakai

Thought it would be cute to expand upon my oc's relationship's,

Ch.4: Mari and Ivan

Just felt like writing this tbh,

Ch.5: "I Kinda Forgot To Tell You That I'm America,"

This one came out of a meme I sent my friend lamo

Ch.6: Friend

Aaron Siegel in most fandom depictions on AO3 reminds me of Arthur for some reason, so I was compelled to write this

Ch.7: Cannon Stuff pt.1 (Out of universe)

Ch.8: Cannon Stuff pt.2 (Out of universe)

Both chapters were written out of the urge to infodump,

Ch.9: Ouroboros Cycle AU (I'm debating on whether or not I want to keep this chapter up)

Since the Ouroboros Cycle proposal is one of my favourite ones on the SCP site, I thought why not create another au in which some of the Hetalia characters are the O5 Council,

Ch.10: Why? (A Gift From Yao)

Scp-348 is one of my favourite SCPs, combine that with the dynamic of Kiku and Yao makes for something interesting

Ch.11: Everything Is Ok.

I randomly had the motivation to write about Unlondon and 2p England,

Ch.XX: "I'am Not the Messiah!!!" -Ludwig (Unreleased)

I look forwards to writing this one since it'll include the Church of the HRE,

Ch.XX: A Change of Fate (Unreleased)

I want to introduce a new character and show how Alfred met the SCP Foundation before Chapter 5,

Ch.XX: Overbearing Big Brothers (Unreleased)

The image of Alfred and Arthur just squabbling over who's the big brother of Three Portlands came to my head after watching the Exploring Series video on it

Ch.XX: To See Someone Familiar In Another's Eyes (Unreleased)

I want to explore the relationship between Aaron and Alfred, both characters seem to have conflictive and cold relationships with their older/younger brother figure.

Any questions about this AU is welcome!