#the five commandments of storytelling

[melbatron5000]

More crap about story rules

I dunno if this is helpful, but I read somewhere that Tumblr is just talking to yourself until someone goes, "Oh, I like this," so here goes. It helps me to get this sort of stuff out and be able to reference back to it.

I'm a novelist. I write speculative fiction, primarily urban fantasy with a dollop of mythopoeia (wanting to lean more towards the mythopoeia, but anyway). Neil is definitely a role model of mine, and has been since I was 19. Terry came a little later for me, in my mid-twenties. I'd read Good Omens by then, but believed Neil had a heavier hand in it than Terry did (Ha!). Once I finally picked up some Discworld, I was hooked for life.

I also recently learned I have ADHD, so not only is traditional institutional academia not my thing, I also have trouble sussing out meaning and details from things unless I have specific instructions on where to look. Once I have that in hand, I often go on a tear and find things that I never imagined were there, and frequently surprise not only myself but others. But I absolutely have to have that first step laid out for me in order to make more of my own.

When I first started writing in the 80s (yes, I'm old), I started looking around for the elusive "story structure" I'd heard about vaguely from other writers. I really couldn't find anything written down about what constitutes the steps of a story, the journey a hero must take for a story to be told start to finish. The other writers I'd heard discuss it didn't have concrete ideas for me (lots of hand-waving and "oh, you know"s), so I figured I'd find it in a book somewhere.

I found a little something about structure from Greek philosophy, but that mainly boiled down to stories needing a "beginning, middle, and end," like, duh, and not a lot about what made those three parts up. As a very basic story-telling model, it is incredibly concrete and important, but it's something we've known for thousands of years by now so it doesn't exactly light up the night sky with insight anymore. It's become such common knowledge that it almost doesn't seem like knowledge. I found more from Joseph Campbell, but a lot of what I found written by him was very airy and sort of dream-like, and hard to follow. So I gave up and muddled along the best I could.

About ten years ago now, I decided to try again, and found a whole ton of stuff written about story structure, from Greek philosophy decoded to Shakespear's five-act structure to The Hero's Journey first talked about by Joseph Campbell to modern Hollywood 3-act structure. Around about 2010 there was an explosion of work done on story structure, and damn if it wasn't eye-opening.

My favorite book so far on structure is The Story Grid by Shawn Coyle, because he has broken down all the various types of structure into very concrete, easy-to-comprehend steps that make sense. He talks about exactly where there is wiggle room, exactly where there is not, the general shape of a story in comparison to the general shape of the five stages of grief, what precisely constitutes a scene and what the sequence of scenes has to be to tell a whole, complete story. (In case you're interested, my next favorite book on structure is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. It fills in a few holes that The Story Grid misses, and together they make a beautifully complete map of how to tell a good story.)

My favorite, in particular, are the Five Commandments of Storytelling. Each scene, each act (however many you want, I like 4), and the story as a whole, all have to follow the Five Commandments. These are elements that have to be present for a scene to work, and for a story to reach its beginning, middle, and end satisfactorily.

Inciting incident. This is something that happens that forces the main character to change course, take action. It has to be either an Act of God, or another character acting on the main character.

Progressive complications. The main character forms a plan to put life back in order and tries it, but is blocked. They have to regroup and form a new plan. Threes in storytelling are always good, but the main character must be blocked until they reach the Turning Point Complication, where they realize that in order to move forward and have a hope of getting where they want, they must make a hard choice. Often the hard choice is that they must do The One Thing They Didn't Want to Do, though the introduction of new information will drive this decision as well. New information can come from another character, or be realized by the main character as a result of the action.

Crisis. They reach the decision point, where they must choose one thing over another. The decision must be between two irreconcilable good things, where they can't have both; or the lesser of two evils, where they can't escape both. The Crisis can also be boiled down to a "what will they do?" question. They're going to have to pick, but they're going to resist before they choose, and that creates tension which keeps the reader invested.

Climax. They make their choice. It's really that simple. They pick.

Resolution. The consequences of their choice are laid out. In a scene, this means the inciting incident of the next scene is introduced because of the character's choice; in an overall story, this leads to the end of the tale where our hero emerges, having learned whatever it was that the author deemed they needed to learn.

For example, Aziraphale is listening to music when a knock comes at the door. (Inciting incident) He forms and enacts a plan -- answer the door, probably hoping to get rid of whoever it is quickly. It's Gabriel. (Complication) He forms and enacts a new plan -- find out what Gabriel is doing here. Gabriel says he doesn't know. (Complication) Gabriel asks to come in. (Complication) Aziraphale forms and enacts a new plan -- tell Gabriel no. Gabriel says oh-kay and turns to the people on the street. (Turning point complication) Now Aziraphale has two bad choices -- bring Gabriel inside, or leave him to wander naked around Whickber street doing God only knows what. (Crisis) He chooses what he thinks is the lesser of two evils -- he tells Gabriel to get in. (Climax) Now Gabriel, possibly Aziraphale's worst enemy, is inside his home, the book shop. (Resolution) And because this is a scene, this Resolution is also the inciting incident of the next scene.

This can go different routes, as when the inciting incident rouses curiosity or creates a promise of something the character wants, instead of inflicting discomfort -- although if a character wants something bad enough, deciding to say no to pursuing it could inflict discomfort, so that counts, too. The inciting incident just means that something happens so that the main character can no longer keep living life as it was. Something has to change, and they have to change it. In the end, it all boils down to something outside the main character knocking them off course, them deciding how to try to get back on course and failing, and what happens as a result. (Beginning, middle, end!)

A good way to create a mystery is to hide the Inciting Incident from the readers/viewers. Or at least, the Inciting Incidents of certain character and scenes. In the above example, we see Aziraphale's Inciting Incident, but we don't see Gabriel's until episode six.

I believe we haven't seen the Inciting Incident of Crowley and Aziraphale's storyline for season 2. It seems like Gabriel showing up is the Inciting Incident for the entire season, but I believe his arrival is a Complication, not the Inciting Incident. As far as what the original Inciting Incident was, well, first and foremost, the Resolution of season 1 would naturally lead into the Inciting Incident of season 2, just as a scene would do for the scene following it. So there's one Clue. As for the answer -- we just have to keep looking where the furniture isn't.

I hope this story breakdown was interesting to someone. I find it completely fascinating, but I am a story nerd, so maybe what I like and find interesting isn't up everyone's alley.

Cheers!

[eobe]

How could I miss this GOLD of gorgeous faces 🤩🫶✨ Naaaaw with the little storytelling to each of them! 🫠

Echo the cutie, but I can understand him, Aev is hot 🤷🏽‍♀️

Rex need a hug but not from his vode I’m here for you oh captain my captain

HI FIVES 😍 This expression is ‚Whoa okay doom but I’ll deal with grace‘ 😂

Naaaw Tech 🫶 Tired of beeing reasonable… but also untidy ☝️ Tidy up and your belongings may be a bit more safe, dear hihihi 😁

Commander Fox, Sir, just… go to bed. NoOOo not what you’re thinking of – just sleep now for Maker‘s sake!! 🙈

Poor Kix is stressed out and I should be sad for him, but why do I laugh 🙈

FOX… ☕️🦊 Caf splashed, completely done, but this is not how caf or the force works 🤷🏽‍♀️ Both tend to work in mysterious ways, but the show was worth the try 🥹😂🫠 caf dripping from sweet fox curls hmmmm 🤔

I was too tired to do some serious art but I wanted to draw anyway so I let @ghostymarni pick some emotions (from Abisalli's Emotion Challenge) and clones for me to practice and this is the result:

Aev-walked-by-and-I'm-totally-crushing-on-her-Echo and You-sure-those-are-my-ARC-troopers-Rex

Ahahaha-what-do-you-mean-somehow-Palpatine-returned-Fives and Why-are-my-personal-belongings-either-knifed-shot-at-or-exploded-Tech

This-is-not-the-life-you're-looking-for-Fox (see bonus under cut) and The-kriff-do-you-mean-you-put-ducttape-over-an-open-wound-Kix

Alright I'm off to bed, sweet dreams and see you all tomorrow.

It's not blood he just splashed caf in his face to try and keep awake (that's how caf works right?)

[ruins-of-gods]

Something that I think Warhammer 40,000 storytellers miss sometimes is the sheer scale of their setting. I mean, don't get me wrong - I love the big, dramatic clashes, the characters you can buy in mini form and their convoluted, interwoven lore, the dramatic combats against unstoppable foes across a thousand ruined worlds. But that's the top of the setting, as it were - the most powerful beings in the universe, all fighting for supremacy. And at ground level, the level of the ordinary person, are so many other stories.

Did you know that a Lunar-class void cruiser has a crew of 95,000? Nearly a hundred thousand people, aboard a spaceship five kilometers long. A city, flying through outer space to wage war. Many of those people are proper trained soldiers, fresh from some academy or veterans of long, grueling campaigns, and many more are pressed into service, begrudgingly laying their lives at their Emperor's feet. But, unless the ship is currently actively involved in a really bloody campaign, most of those people were born aboard that ship. Most of their parents were born aboard it. And their grandparents. And their great-grandparents. Lineages stretching back centuries, so far that the original soldier who came aboard has been forgotten. A lot of those people probably know, on some level, that they're aboard a ship flying through space - but a lot of them probably don't, and I guarantee you almost none of them understand what that means. This ship is their world. To look out the window means madness so often that they avoid it - not that windows are readily available anyway. Most of them probably barely even understand that they're fighting. All they know is that when the readouts on their analog instruments display like so, when they hurry to obey the blared orders through the klaxon, the Emperor is pleased with them. They were born into that world. When they were children they did smaller tasks the adults couldn't. Their entire existence was winding metal corridors, laid out according to some archaic design, any logic that might dictate their layout long since degraded after millennia of ignorant maintenance, lit only by emergency lights that have long since become the default. They learned how to read an angle readout or how to relay an order perfectly the way another child might learn history or math. When they grew up, their service was flawless, born of pride and ignorance, and when they grew old and died, their legacy was remembered until it was forgotten. Many were killed in battle, but who cares? They gave their lives to the Emperor - a name whose meaning they don't understand, but whose importance they believe in wholeheartedly, all but synonymous with the commanding officers up above.

Sometimes, the klaxons sound a specific command, and every person on board who understands what it means feels a deep, awful dread as they run to their battle stations. They don't know what a warp jump is. They don't understand they're going from one place to another by the fastest way available. All they know is that, for a time, the ship dips into hell. The corridors go wrong. Things and people might not be where or what they were before. Daemons stalk the halls, and must be killed by any who can hold a lasgun. The overcrowded berths, the little nooks that families find for themselves - they are not private anymore. They are not safe. Things drift through the shift that do not care about the laws of physics, but that delight in killing and torturing human beings. Vast energies shake the ship and tear parts of it away - their home, their world, their existence, the biggest thing they can imagine, assaulted by something bigger. Is it the Emperor's punishment for failure? Is this what battle is? What's going on? They don't know, and no one who does can be bothered to tell them. The dread of those who have seen this before is even worse, because they don't know how long it will be. It might be just a few hours. It might be days, or weeks, or months, or years, or decades. It might be centuries, as the captain of the ship goes hunting daemons deep in the warp - the officers live that long, after all, and have little care for those who don't. There will be people born in hell, who spend their entire lives fighting from the day they can stand, and who die in hell, as old age and need catch up to them and they curl up in a corner to perish. To them, it isn't even hell. It's just the world. The world is death and pain and cruelty, an infinite metal box through which monsters stalk, and sometimes you must run to a battle station and do as you're ordered to do. And sometimes, as they reach forty or fifty or even a ripe old sixty, the ship drops out of the Warp, and, for the final years of their life, they are granted a life of relatively safe service better than anything they ever hoped to dream of.

Those are the kinds of stories I want to see more of. Super-soldiers fighting each other is cool, yes, but I want to see this universe explored. I want stories from the perspective of those that keep the Imperium going, or the aeldar, or the tyranids, or anyone, really. There's just so much potential in this setting. It deserves it.

[urhoneycombwitch]

your ideas on dm eddie!!!!?????

like i need more of him being in charge and reader just is like no no

replying to this with another anon

18+ mdni

he would be so easily corruptible. like one session you all have to stop mid-game (it’s been 4 hours but everyone got so lost in the storytelling!!) to get the kids home before curfew. and it was just getting good, too- the knight’s brigade with you as their commander, riding on proud horseback into the rumored-to-be-dragon-infested-forest.

and later that night, after you’ve carpooled everyone to their respective homes, you settle in at Eddie’s for a movie.

but it’s not five minutes in until you’ve got a hand under the band of Eddie’s sweats, fist slick around his cock. you’re biting at that hotspot behind his ear and he’s trying to be good, keeping his hips down even though he’s longing to just fuck up into your tight hand.

Eddie lets out a little whine when you thumb at his slit- and then your voice is low at his ear, murmuring, “no dragons in that forest, right baby?”

he can’t be faulted for not answering right away, ‘cuz your other hand has slipped to cup his balls and your thumb is pressing into indecent places-

“h-what?” Eddie pants, stomach flexing, using real effort to stave off coming. “no dragon… where?”

“in the forest, baby,” you coo, patient in tone but speeding up your jacking-off rhythm.

his cock throbs in response. Eddie moans.

you sink a lovebite into the dip of his shoulder before you continue, saccharine- “gonna make it real easy on me and my knights tomorrow, right?”

and he didn’t have a choice, goddammit, you’d jacked him right up against a wall, he had to strangle out a “yes” so that you wouldn’t stop your pretty hands from moving.

“come.” as soon as you whisper the command at him he’s gone, spilling thick ropes of pearly white into his sweatpants, letting his hips jerk forward as you coax the last of his spend with a squeezing upwards twist.

his head lolls against the back of the couch, chest heaving, bright spots of pink in his cheeks. “vixen. witch. you’re a sorceress.”

“nope.” you pop the p before sucking the mess from your fingers into your mouth, Eddie watching with lust-blown pupils. “I’m just a knight with a slut for a DM.”

[tadpolesonalgae]

Hi! Is the master list a wip rn? It’s not working for me

Hi! Sorry to commandeer this post but there are a few things I want to say relating to this.

So over the past fortnight or so I've actually seriously been considering deleting my blog, or just stopping writing fanfiction entirely. Most of Two Birds has been deleted and I started getting rid of a few Teeth and Talons chapters, I think all the links to masterlists have been taken down and I've made most of the cbmthy chapters private.

I don't want to mislead anyone by speculating why I've been feeling the way I have, but I'm fatigued, exhausted, demotivated, and I feel used.

Fandom to me is supposed to be about community, not to be taken as charity. That means interacting with writers. Reblogging posts with more than just sorting tags. Commenting something other than asking to be on a taglist.

I want to stress there are over 3,600 of you following me, and yet only the first part of cbmthy, Unchained, and Stockholm Syndrome even a third of you have interacted with. Most stories I write now have around 100-300 hundred notes, a fraction of those being comments or reblogs, which is such a small percentage.

My problem isn't feeling there aren't enough likes/comments/reblogs.

My problem is when I now share a fic with you, less than one twelfth of you are even seeing/acknowledging it.

If you don't like my writing, I'm fine with that; there have been others who have been kind enough to express how much they do enjoy it, and sincere enough that I believe it.

But for anyone who doesn't enjoy my writing anymore, please unfollow me.

If you don't have the time to read the things I write anymore, please acknowledge that and unfollow me.

If you don't have the energy to enjoy fandom anymore, please unfollow me.

I'm more than happy if 100 or so of you enjoy a post, because that's one hundred people who have enjoyed something I've taken the time to write, but the remaining three and a half thousand of you, keeping quiet, not interacting, potentially not even seeing the stories I work hard on, just feel like dead weight.

A drabble, or a head-canon post takes me about two hours to write.

A 2k/3k word fic takes me around five hours to write.

A regular cbmthy chapter can take me up to eighteen hours to write. Not including editing.

So to answer your question: I don't know if it's a wip.

I haven't decided whether or not to fix all the links. I don't even know if I want people to have access to all the stuff I've written.

Hobbies are supposed to be fun, but if the discontent and resentment outweigh my enjoyment, then I have to take a break from it, either temporarily or permanently.

I'd love to write a book one day, and I think having this blog is a great way for me to practice my storytelling, but I can't do any of that if I don't have the will to write.

[prickly-paprikash]

One of my favorite things about Denis Villeneuve's style is how utterly masterful he is at subtle storytelling. Using the visuals to tell a tale that, even when you don't figure it out explicitly, one feels it immediately.

In Dune Part 1, my favorite form of this is at the very beginning when the Herald of the Change arrives to formalize the transition of Arrakis' ownership from the Harkonnens to the Atreides. The procession is full of pomp and posturing, with the Herald speaking in this loud, bombastic voice just to announce what is already a given, and Leto responds with his own spectacle—the armies of Atreides, chanting as one. It's all a show, since at this point House Atreides has been commanded by the Emperor. The contract is a legal formality; the costly procession on Caladan was (un)necessary showmanship. In the books, showing off the illusion of power and authority is vital in maintaining this cruel, unyielding power system, and without bringing mention of it, the film shows this off too. Then, once the Duke has sealed the form with his signet ring, everything just... drops.

Leto looks at the Herald in the eye, and asks, "So, it's done?"

And just as Leto replied to the grandiose display of the Emperor, the Herald now replies with the levity the situation truly deserves.

"It's done."

Both the Herald and the Duke know what this truly is. It's not a reward. It's not a show of love. The Herald, at this moment, is looking at a dead man walking. Millions of their currency sunk into this process, barely five minutes in total, and all to simply declare it all "done."

You can even feel a sense of satisfaction from the Herald.

The Emperor, in his paranoia and envy, guided the hand of the Atreides into a trap. And the Atreides know it is their doom, but they have no choice. They are popular and loved by the Great Houses, but they are bound by honor. And bound by might.

And all of this, narrowed down into one brilliant scene.

Once again, this subtle, visual storytelling is in full display in Part 2, and my favorite by far happens on Giedi Prime.

The Bene Gesserit Sister, Lady Margot Fenring (who is also a Lady of her own House in the books), watches on as one of their prospects, Na-Baron Feyd-Rautha engages in ritual combat for his birthday. Afterwards, in a hallway lit by only the fireworks outside, she stalks the Harkonnen heir, and Feyd catches on immediately.

Here's the thing: barring other Sisters of the Bene Gesserit, Paul Atreides, and some very gifted Mentat Assassins—you will never know if a Sister of the Order is stalking you. From the beginning, she had wanted to be caught by him. A lure. A tantalizing bait, perfectly designed to entrap the feral Feyd.

And he sinks in immediately.

Here is where my favorite visual storytelling comes into play.

In the hallway, we begin with a fully covered Margot. She is veiled completely in shadow, with the oil fireworks illuminating only her visage.

Next, Feyd strikes and holds his blade to her neck, revealing her face. But only her face.

Slowly, the scene shows off little by little her skin. In the hall, I believe the most we see is her throat, and I could be mistaken. The light flashes erratically, and we see her the way Feyd must see her.

In the shadows, a threat. In the brief sparks of light, a curiosity.

And when Margot confuses him, leading him to the Guest Wing where she stays, the light fully shows her off. She's still in formal clothing, but now we see her dress. It reveals a plunging neckline that barely shows off the top of her chest. Her top is sleeveless, showing off her shoulders and the soft musculature of her arms. In the dark, we could clearly see her wearing a veil that covered her body.

And the light mimics her, stripping away and revealing something beautiful. Irresistible, especially to Feyd, who despite his high intelligence and skill, is just as brutal and animalistic as his uncle and brother. All three so easily give in to their vice, and Feyd is no different.

He is allured by her. He lusts after her.

And all this without a word hinting towards sex in their entire shared dialogue.

Just the use of light, shadow, and body to tell a story.

Afterwards, Margot speaks to the Reverend Mother and Princess Irulan, revealing that she has secured a child from Feyd in her womb, which again without saying anything specific immediately shows that the Sisters have such power over their own bodies that they can ensure fertilization and have complete knowledge over their pregnancy. They even control what sex the child will be, as alluded to in Dune Part 1 when Jessica, out of the love she had for Leto and his desire for a son, rebelled against the Bene Gesserit's orders and sired a male.

Again, without info-dumping, we immediately understand that this religious order engages in Eugenics, and uses sex, fanaticism, and more to control the Great Houses.

Please watch Dune. Please read Dune.

[mysimsloveaffair]

Figuring out the age of Sims in the Sims 4 is tough. Sims don’t have a set ‘birthday,’ and they age up based on life stages, making it hard for legacy players and storytellers to narrow down exactly what ‘age’ a sim is. Let’s face it: there’s a big difference between a child who is five years old and one who is twelve.

I’ve been a legacy/storyteller for years. Previously, I relied on the in-game ‘normal’ life span for my sims. However, I often felt rushed to get my sims married and have children. This was to avoid the problem of my elder sims dying off before meeting their grandchildren. This issue became even worse when the Discover University Expansion was introduced. If I want to send my sims to college, it takes up even more of their young adult years. Consequently, the marriage/child ‘rush’ becomes a bigger issue.

Eventually, I turned to the MC Command Center mod to solve this by creating my own age ranges, giving each life stage ample time to pursue their goals, develop as characters, and later find someone to spend their lives with. With some tweaking over the years, I came up with the life stage breakdowns you see above. I tried matching the number of sim days in each life stage with an ‘age’ that matches what we’re used to in the real world. I am sharing this because it might be helpful for anyone else who is struggling to ‘age’ their sims. And while it’s not perfect, it could be a good starting point, and I hope it helps!

A large/printable version of this graphic is available on my website here: My Sims 4 Lifespan**

**Link takes you to my WordPress website

Thanks to @storiesbyjes2g, as always, for her feedback!

[kcscribbler]

Christmas Fic Masterpost

Figured I'd toss this up in case anyone's looking for holiday-themed stuff, specifically. All fics here are either set around holidays or themed accordingly, and I make no claims as to their literary quality, lol.

My BBC Sherlock and ACD Sherlock Holmes fic are not included in the list as they're not on AO3 yet, but they are available on request.

Star Trek TOS

Of Luck And Miracles (4.2K, Kirk & Spock)

A deliberately plotless piece of Original Series fluff for those of us who don't feel very Christmassy this year.

A Celebration in Infinite Combinations (60K, gen ensemble & OC)

The first year of the five-year mission is a critical time for the crew of the starship Enterprise. With a new chain of command, a new crew, and a new captain who must prove himself to both, all must work together and learn to function not as a crew, but as a family. Ten mini story arcs revolving around ten sets of characters, all converging in the last chapter.

Gifts (7K, Kirk & Spock)

Five times Jim and Spock gave each other something, and one time it wasn't necessary. Early-era TOS.

Star Trek AOS

New Beginnings (1K, Kirk & McCoy)

Jim's never really celebrated Christmas before, at least not with someone who actually wanted to be there. This is…new. (It's super weird.)

One Step Forward (9K, gen, Kirk & Spock focus)

Grounded on Yorktown base for the winter holiday season, the remaining crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise deal with being haunted by metaphorical ghosts of Christmases past. Full warnings inside fic.

Loki Series

A Light in the Window (5.5K, Loki & Mobius)

On the eve of the multiversal war, the God of Time and Director of the TVA rendezvous one last time in a tiny beach house in the Florida Keys. Set near the end of the Storyteller 'verse, about twenty years after the events of Ready or Not.

A Green Christmas (14.6K, Loki & Mobius)

Holiday fluff and potential tree-related punnage, that's all. You've been warned. Part Five in the Storyteller verse, set a few weeks after the events of To Begin Again.

BBC Merlin

None Goes His Way Alone (25K, gen ensemble post-S2)

Merlin has always thought that the sorcerer chooses the familiar; his new familiar begs to differ. Canon-compliant not-quite-fix-it fic for S5 finale.

And for anyone who, like me, is feeling a little jaded about the holidays, you can find a 100% angst-free, silly or fluffy self-recommendation for each fandom below the cut. 💙

Star Trek AOS

All's Fair (9.4K, gen ensemble cast)

He needs a staff that will call him on his bullshit, not blindly obey his every command; one that actually enjoys his company rather than tolerating it with a fake smile. One who has somehow, despite all odds and his own initial intentions, wormed their way under his skin to wrap around his heart. It would kill him to lose them, now. Also now, he wants to kill them. It balances out, somehow.

Star Trek TOS

Action & Reaction (2K, gen Triumvirate)

Or, The One With the Checkmate. Tag scene to A Piece of the Action.

Loki Series

Crossword Clues (2K, Loki & Mobius)

The infirmary of the TVA is where non-jet-ski magazines go to die.

[onwhatcaptain]

It's been ages since I posted a snippet from my K/S novel, so I'm back with one from Chapter 15!

“Well, I haven’t even asked you anything yet, Doctor.” He snorts. “And for your sake, you probably shouldn’t.” They make a small expression of sympathy that he’s getting far too used to seeing and they walk in silence for a few moments. “I understand you’re going through a lot right now, but I have a responsibility to at least try and ask you questions, Doctor.” “And why’s that?” “Because this story deserves to be reported fairly and accurately, and your perspective on the matter is missing. I think you might have some valuable insight and I just want to understand. To shed light on the matter.” “And what exactly needs my input?” “Doctor McCoy,” they ask, “were Commander Spock and Captain Kirk merely colleagues and friends? Or was there something more?” McCoy stops in his tracks without turning to face them, nearly tripping on the gravel lining the path. “What?”

If you are curious, my fic "I Shall Do Neither" is here at AO3.

I Shall Do Neither (87406 words) by onwhatcaptain Chapters: 16/26 Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Spock Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Leonard "Bones" McCoy Additional Tags: Romance, Angst, Heavy Angst, Loss of Control, Psychological Trauma, Mutual Pining, Five Year Mission (Star Trek), Episode: s02e05 Amok Time, Post-Episode: s02e05 Amok Time, Pon Farr, Pon Farr Aftermath (Star Trek), Unresolved Sexual Tension, Friendship, Grief, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Unreliable Narrator, Vulcan Biology, Tarsus IV (Star Trek), Vulcan Mind Melds, Non-Linear Narrative, Storytelling Through Vignettes, Missing Scenes Between Episodes, Plot, Cover Art, Canon Divergence, Digital Art, Illustrations, In spite of the description Kirk features heavily in this novel Summary: In the wake of the kal-if-fee on Vulcan, Kirk is dead. When T’Pau tells Spock to live long and prosper, he knows he shall do neither. This is a story about men who love each other, and the lengths they will go to for one another. - Foolish, he thinks. I have been a fool. How he had wanted so desperately to prove his Vulcan side. How all his life it had felt like a performance, and yet, to be finally subject to the most Vulcan thing of all destroyed him. The stripping of logic. All sense torn from him. His carefully constructed barriers had collapsed like a flimsy house of cards. To be granted his wish this way was a type of mockery. How he had wanted to be fully Vulcan. To prove that the blood which runs through his veins was not so human. How wanting had been better than having. - This story is told in two parts across 25 chapters, and will be updated on Sundays.

[thearcaneuniversity]

3, 24 and 25!

Hello dear! <3

3. What were your top five books of the year?

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens I adore character-driven stories, and this novel delivers in spades... Dickens creates such a compelling cast. The backdrop of the French Revolution adds a sense of urgency and grandeur that perfectly complements the intimate human dramas at the novel’s heart. The theme of duality, whether through characters, settings, or moral dilemmas, makes it endlessly fascinating. It’s tragic, moving, and full of moments that I still think of today. As someone who went through a deep dive into the French Revolution and visited Paris right after reading this novel, it really brought history to life in an incredibly intimate way.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov Nabokov’s writing style is a marvel in itself. Every sentence feels meticulously crafted, but this precision made the book a challenge at times; it demands your full attention. The way Nabokov draws you into Humbert Humbert’s mind is both brilliant and deeply unsettling. The contrast between the prose’s elegance and the story’s disturbing content creates a tension that stays with you long after finishing. The book is dark, forcing you to confront uncomfortable truths about the nature of storytelling itself.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt This book has a slow burn quality that made the initial chapters and the last 100 pages or so challenging to get through. Tartt’s prose is rich and descriptive, almost indulgent at times, which required patience. But as the story unfolds, you’re drawn into this insular, cult-like group of classics students who blur the lines between genius and madness. The characters are deeply flawed - pretentious, manipulative, and often cruel - but Tartt writes them with such nuance, while you may not always sympathize with them, you can’t help but feel the weight of their mistakes bearing down on them, page after page. By the time I finished the novel, I found myself haunted by its atmosphere and themes, which is why I felt compelled to revisit it in the original English. It’s a story that lingers, much like the memory of a bad decision that you can’t shake.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee This multi-generational saga is sweeping in scope but intimate in its portrayal of its characters. Min Jin Lee’s writing is deceptively simple, allowing the complex emotions and historical weight of the story to shine through. The novel explores themes of identity, resilience, and systemic oppression as it follows a Korean family navigating life in Japan. Each character feels vivid and fully realized, from Sunja, the matriarch who makes difficult choices to protect her family, to her descendants, who face new challenges in a society that refuses to accept them. The historical context of Korean-Japanese relations added a layer of depth I hadn’t encountered before, making the story both eye-opening and poignant. The way Lee handles dehumanization and bigotry is masterful—it’s specific to the cultural conflict in the book but also universally relatable, making the injustices feel profoundly real.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde This novel surprised me in many ways. I expected a philosophical exploration of beauty and morality, but what I got was also a gothic, almost sinister tale of corruption and despair. Dorian’s descent into hedonism and moral decay feels like watching a train wreck - you can’t look away. The philosophical debates between Dorian and Lord Henry were both particularly striking and quite annoying at times. Knowing the twists and the ending, I’m eager to reread it, especially in the uncensored version and in English, to better appreciate Wilde’s command of language.

I’m currently reading A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and I have a strong feeling it might earn a spot on this list. However, since I haven’t finished it yet, I’ll reserve judgment for now.

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

Yes, I attempted to start my BA literature reading list - a collection of all the books I studied during my three-year university program (in preparation for MA studies). Unfortunately, I hit a roadblock with Old English and Anglo-Saxon poetry and couldn’t make much progress. I tried moving on to other works from the list, like Shakespeare, but I kept getting sidetracked by more enticing reads. In the end, I decided to put the list aside for another time.

25. What reading goals do you have for next year?

To read (or at least familiarize myself with) most of the books from my BA studies.

To read 50 books in 2025, or at least exceed this year’s total of 30 books.

To read at least three more books from my philosophy collection.

To explore more poetry.

Thank you so much for the ask!!!

[thecinderninja]

Theme and Variations

On Ao3 as The_Cinderninja

He is a very young child when he first speaks to the wind, but he was already listening long before that.

He could always hear the voices, even before then. Sometimes dozens, sometimes thousands, sometimes only one. They seem to like him.

He has no Vision, he has no control over the wind, nor would he ever try to control it. It simply comes to him. It warns him of oncoming storms, it whispers of danger and opportunity equally. It guides his steps; a friend, a confidant, a protector and a caretaker. 

It cares for him more than his parents, it’s there for him more than his peers. It listens to him more than his teachers, and it speaks to him more than the friends he does not have.

It smiles upon him. Loves him, even.

What came first? His love of the wind, or his love of stories? It is hard to say when they are so intertwined. One inevitably leads to the other, when the wind is such a profound gossip, a poet, a storyteller, a bard, and a sharer of secret histories. The wind shares everything it knows with Kazuha, it teaches him the way memory is woven through every word and song, it teaches him the profundity of a quiet moment. 

The wind becomes his parent, his peer, his teacher, his friend. 

Many days find him sitting in the quiet of early dawn by the shallow pool of a waterfall, listening to the songs on the wind with his hands outstretched before him. Eyes closed, head back, at peace. He isn’t sure what he expects to find there, but he’s always surprised when he opens his eyes and his hands are empty.

.

He is just a boy when he starts telling stories of his own.

A poet, he calls himself, in the back of his mind. He doesn’t say so out loud - but the word settles comfortably in his heart. He writes tales and rhymes and the secret stories of the most mundane things - because when the world is as beautiful as it is, nothing is mundane.

He sees beauty everywhere, beyond comprehension.

The sunrise never grows old. He sees it five thousand times, and never the same one twice. His five thousandth sunset brings him to tears just as surely as his first, and his hundredth. He grows up near the sea and spends days standing on the shore, staring out at the horizon. The horizon. It’s endless. It’s moving. It matters, in a way no one else can see.

It matters so much. 

An entire day he spends hiking only to stand at a mountain peak and look down at the world stretching out beneath him.

It is all his home. He reaches out and imagines holding the whole world in the palms of his hands.

He dreams of it.

He wanders, but never too far from home. He has ties, titles, obligations, and each weighs heavily on him. 

Until he doesn’t.

.

He is barely on the cusp of adulthood when he loses his inheritance. His father, his home, and what respect was left on his family name. Debt collectors come, and he is left with nothing.

Nothing but his freedom.

He walks away and he does not look back.

When he wakes, one morning, with a weight in his hands, it feels familiar. More familiar than anything he’s known, more right. A warmth, a weight, a blue light that has always been there, even when it wasn’t. It feels like coming home. 

It is an Anemo Vision, and he doesn’t question it.

Nothing changes.

He still does not seek to command the wind.

He holds the wind in his hands, like he always has, and close to his heart, where it’s always been.

.

He is a young man when the Sakoku Decree is announced. Then the Vision Hunt Decree.

And then the Storm Walls descend around Inazuma.

His mind is screaming at him, and he runs. He is afraid like he’s never been before, and he is angry like he has never been before.

He could run for freedom, flee like so many other Vision holders in those first tumultuous days, when the future is uncertain and dangerous.

He doesn’t. 

He runs straight into the arms of the resistance - it is the only place he could have possibly gone. It was never in question. 

This time, when he steps in front of the killing blow, meant for his friends - the Musou no Hitotachi falling upon him, he survives.

This time, he stands to watch the Storm Walls fall.

This time, he leaves Inazuma and does not look back, and he holds the world in the palm of his hands.

[pyreo]

I know there's people who like their fantasy storytelling to take a few steps away from reality, you know. Nothing that verges on allegorical to the stuff we worry about in real life. And I think I'm on the opposite team to that and y'know, the further away we get from gw2's original core story the more I see The World Summit instance as more pivotal than it appeared.

It's the part in the middle of Season 2 where you bring the world leaders together to try and insist that they need to aid you fighting Mordremoth, a primal force who's only just now awakened and started causing disruption and deaths. Mechanically, it serves to show the various cultures being made aware of the upcoming antagonist for mostly the first time.

But there's something that grips me to this day about the realism in that segment. You know full well that this thing is beginning its warpath and will kill those around you. You and your guild know that you need to take action immediately before it gathers itself together to a point you cannot fight it any more. I don't think the scene serves much more than obligatory scaffolding in a narrative sense but it echoes the way I feel in real life all the time. It's the focal point where I've never felt more aligned with my Commander.

Smodur: They're plant creatures! How hard can they be to fight. One good flamethrower and…

Knut: Mordremoth is not yet as close as the Sons of Svanir. They press in around our homesteads. That is more important.

Phlunt: Are you saying we should put ourselves on the line to protect all of you? We are safe in Rata Sum.

Jennah: I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't see how this will work. What are you asking of us?

It's not easy to ask the Main Five Peoples to get anything done together - they do come from legitimately incompatible cultures and there's bad history between humans and charr, and sylvari and asura. But you have to present an argument to each one to convince them this is the most important thing to devote resources to.

It's been about ten years since this was written and it still feels exactly like every conversation that deflects from the reality of climate change. The 'we have bigger things to worry about', the 'it's not that bad', the denials, the giving up, the ones who have enough to feel secure individually and don't really care.

That and the way the narrative turns from 'you're the hero, slay the dragon' to a domino effect that cannot be stopped, wrenching the planet off its hinges and it was all down to you. There's a big difference in changing the threat from ancient dragons awakening to devour all life... and it being the Commander's fault that the stabilising effect those dragons had is unplugged. The allegory becomes undeniable - you doomed the world. You have to chase down that tether and pull the weave back from unravelling even if it'll tear you apart. And even if nobody realises how close their lives are to ending, even if nobody respects you for it.

You have to look the most powerful people alive in the eye and plead with them to fucking help you for god's sake knowing it's a crisis and if you don't take action right now instead of waiting for it to get worse... being able to tell them 'I told you so' will be no solace at all.

And fuckin.... if fantasy stories are there to give us hope for ourselves, nothing hits as directly as the journey from "It's not that bad, why should we put anything on the line for you?" to

That hope means something very real to me.

[helix-enterprises117]

Halo Reloaded: Make-A-Wish

The pediatric wing of the hospital had transformed into an impromptu superhero headquarters, with Spartan supersoldiers from Blue-Team and Silver-Team taking cautious, elephantine steps through the sea of tiny, eager faces. The formidable figures of John-117 and his comrades were sheathed in gleaming armor, a stark contrast to the vibrant drawings and soft pastel colors of the hospital walls.

John, the Master Chief himself, stood slightly to the side, his towering form casting a long shadow.

Despite his stoic appearance, there was an unmistakable tension in his posture—not from discomfort at being surrounded by children, but from the simple uncertainty of what to say or do. His comrades, however, took to the scene like ducks to water.

Silver-Team, consisting of Vannak-134, Riz-028, and Kai-125, brought their own brand of quirky heroics to the hospital’s pediatric ward, weaving a tapestry of delight that was equal parts whimsical and touching.

Vannak, the powerhouse of the team, had discovered his knack for balloon artistry, though his massive Spartan fingers struggled with the tiny rubber. Amidst a colorful explosion of balloon swords, dogs, and hats, his serious facade cracked into a grin as a particularly stubborn balloon squeaked and twisted under his efforts.

“Operation Inflate is tougher than I anticipated,” he declared in mock-seriousness to the wide-eyed audience of children. Each successful twist was met with cheers, and every popped balloon was a dramatic “casualty” that had the kids in stitches.

Riz, always the quick-witted and agile thinker, turned a simple game of "Simon Says" into an epic adventure. “Simon says... act like you're low-gravity moonwalking!” she’d call out, demonstrating with exaggerated, floaty steps.

Her commands got sillier and sillier, from “Simon says pretend you're a sleeping Brute” to “Simon says dance like a Grunt throwing a tantrum.” Her energy was infectious, and soon she had a conga line of giggling children (and a few adults) snaking through the ward, each mimicking her inventive and hilarious instructions.

Kai, meanwhile, had set up a storytelling corner, but these weren’t your average fairy tales.

Armed with a digital projector and her vivid imagination, she transformed the stories into interactive shadow puppet shows using the kids’ own hands. “And then, the brave little Spartan faced the giant space dragon. Let’s see your dragons, everyone!” Kai would narrate, her voice filled with excitement as the children's hands cast monstrous, wiggling shadows on the wall.

Every child became part of the tale, their shadows merging to defeat space pirates, rescue alien princesses, and explore mysterious planets.

Fred, often the tactical brain of operations, had now turned his strategizing skills to the decidedly non-military task of organizing a children’s scavenger hunt. With a twinkle in his eye, he handed out makeshift maps, each marked with cryptic riddles like, "Seek where tired Spartans rest," directing them to a pillow fort under a table in the playroom.

With the gravity of a general but the grin of a mischievous uncle, Fred supervised the mission. "Alright team, remember, silence is your ally—sneaky steps!" he whispered dramatically, causing a gaggle of tiny sneaker-clad feet to tip-toe comically around the room. The children giggled, whisper-shouting as they discovered each "hidden" part—a glove, a helmet visor, all cleverly placed out of service’s way.

Meanwhile, Kelly, the speedster of the group, had turned a hospital corridor into an impromptu race track. "Okay, racers, on your marks!" she declared, lining up a motley crew of wheelchairs and walkers at the starting line.

With the flair of a seasoned sportscaster, she provided running commentary, "And they're off! Look at Tommy go—zooming ahead like a rocket! And here comes Ellie, oh, what a comeback!" Her laughter mixed with theirs, echoing down the halls. Each race ended with high fives, and Kelly making a big show of checking her watch and declaring each time a new "world record.

"In a quieter corner, Linda had set up a photo booth, not with costumes and props, but with a challenge to capture "the unseen beauty" of the hospital. She handed out digital cameras, kneeling to be at eye level with her new apprentices. "See this? It’s just a shadow, right? But watch this..." She helped them adjust the angles until the shadow looked like a wild, dancing creature.

"You’re the artist—you get to tell the story." Her station became a mini art gallery, kids snapping everything from the superhero reflection in a spoon to a dramatic, noir-style portrait of a teddy bear.

In the midst of this, a small boy broke away from the crowd. His approach was slow but determined, his hospital gown billowing slightly as he marched straight toward the Master Chief.

The chatter seemed to quiet a bit as all eyes followed this tiny figure confronting the legend.

“Hey, Mister Chief!” the boy called out, his voice surprisingly strong. He stopped just a foot away, craning his neck to look up.

John bent down, the servos in his armor humming softly as he adjusted to eye level with the boy. "Hello there," he replied, his voice modulated to a gentle rumble by his helmet.

“You’re Master Chief, right? Like, the real Master Chief?” the boy asked, his eyes wide with a mix of skepticism and hope.

“That’s right. And what’s your name, soldier?” John’s tone held a warmth, prompted by the boy’s earnest gaze.

“I’m Danny. And you’re my hero, Mister Chief. You’re my favorite!” Danny declared, stepping forward as if presenting a medal.

John paused, the compliment catching him off guard. “Am I now?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Yeah! You fight aliens and don’t afraid of anything!” Danny exclaimed, his grammar slipping in his excitement, which made a couple of nearby nurses chuckle.

“Well, I can assure you, I do indeed afraid sometimes,” John corrected gently, eliciting a laugh from Danny.“Can I... can I give you a hug, Mister Chief?” Danny asked, his voice dropping to a more serious tone.

John hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his visor's reflection.

But then he nodded, and as Danny wrapped his small arms around John’s armored waist, John’s own arms came around to return the embrace, enveloping the boy in a gentle, protective circle. “Thank you, Danny,” John said, and it wasn’t just his voice modulator that shook slightly.

“Are you gonna be my friend now, too, Mister Chief? Not just my hero?” Danny looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

“I think I’d like that very much,” John replied, his voice firm with a promise.

As Danny scampered off, probably to boast about his new ‘best friend’, John straightened up and scanned the room. The children were now looking at him with less caution and more curiosity. Kai nudged him lightly with her elbow, a small smirk playing on her lips beneath her helmet. “Looks like you’re not so scary after all, huh, Chief?”

“Seems so,” John conceded, allowing himself a rare, small smile. “Let’s make sure no one feels left out.”

[2baddiesfanfics]

Takes Two to Tease

Pairing: Ei x Miko

Tags: Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Oral Sex, Cunnilingus, Vaginal Fingering, Festivals, Semi-Public Sex

Summary:

As Yae Miko sets out to revive the Irodori Festival, Ei arrives to observe her efforts. With so much to be done and many Inazumans involved, including Kujou Sara, the kitsune finds it hard to keep her hands off her. When jealousy flares up, the Raiden Shogun makes her presence known. 

Read on Ao3

“Kirara, darling, that banner goes across that stall over there - wait! Not so rough! You’ll tear it!” A frantic Yae Miko chastised as the young nekomata attempted to do as she had been asked.

“Lady Guuji! I’m trying, really! I’m only one youkai, er…person!”

“I understand that, little one, but we need to get moving! The festival starts at sundown…ah! Chiori! Don’t you dare walk away from me! Come help Kirara, would you please?”

The owner of the Yae Publishing House pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache starting to bloom in her temples. After many years of being a relic of a bygone era, she had decided to revive the Irodori Festival. An international cultural convention, she believed it would be a wonderful way to bring the people of Inazuma back together and entice those of other nations to celebrate a very significant pastime - light novels. The publishing house’s works had begun to sell like hot taiyaki, and an event like this was sure to create even more wealth for the island nation.

The small plaza in front of the International Trade Association, now dubbed "The Five Kasen Plaza,” hosted a plethora of booths that sold not only light novels, but also showcased traditional Inazuman treats, crafts, and storytellers. This being the first year after the abolition of the Sakoku Decree, everything needed to go off without a hitch. Unfortunately, Miko’s “little helpers” were struggling to keep up with her demands.

“Raiden Shogun have mercy on us,” she huffed under her breath.

“You called?” The familiar warmth of Ei’s voice tickled the back of her neck.

“Archons! Ei! Don’t sneak up on me like that.” Still, she couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful sound of her laughter. It had been 500 years since she last heard it, and she now cherished it more than ever.

“How are things going?”

“Oh, they are…going. Nothing the great and powerful Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine can’t handle, I assure you,” she stated confidently.

“I see. So…no help needed from me?”

The kitsune shrugged. “Why make the Shogun do the work when I have plenty of volunteers? Ah, look! Here comes one now.” Kujou Sara approached them, her arms occupied with booth decorations.

“Guuji Yae! I need your opinion on which of these you believe would best represent the glory of Inazuma.”

“Yes, yes, let’s sit somewhere a bit more comfortable, hmm? My feet are simply aching. Until tonight, Ei,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand.

The Shogun pretended to peruse one of the stalls as she watched them from afar out of the corner of her eye. The tengu had been a loyal follower, certainly. But the way she was leaning into Miko was making her skin crawl. Suddenly, a loud bang erupted -Yoimiya perfecting the fireworks for the opening performance, no doubt - and Sara looked up with concern.

“Excuse me, Ms. Tengu! We are running out of time. Pay attention,” Miko commanded as she tugged on the woman’s chin to grab her focus. Ei felt an electric charge of jealousy surge through her.

“U-um, excuse me…Almighty Shogun…if you please…the static will permanently damage the books…would you mind standing a little further away?” General Gorou stuttered.

“Ah, yes. I apologize.” She fished in her bag for a handful of mora and placed them on the table. “I believe this should cover any potentially ruined copies.” Snatching a single novel, she did her best to pretend to be engrossed in the pages as she strategically drifted closer to the kitsune and tengu.

“No, no, no! You’re doing it all wrong,” she heard Miko instruct. Her long, deft fingers were now directing Sara’s to work with the folding paper she had brought to create origami onikabuto, her digits lingering far too long for Ei’s comfort.

This was the last straw. The second the sky turned dark, she would have her revenge.

The Raiden Shogun watched as Guuji Yae gave the opening speech to a truly impressive crowd. She couldn’t argue with the fact the woman knew how to put on a show. While she was proud she had produced an event that revived a rich part of Inazuman history, jealousy continued to gnaw at her insides.

Thankfully, Kujou Sara was now manning a booth with Kokomi. People she had never seen before wearing clothing from distant lands flocked to peruse the latest releases from Yae Publishing House as well as smaller independent writers. When she finally caught up with Miko, she recognized the woman she was talking to immediately. Ei approached and butted into the conversation as smoothly as she could.

“Captain Beidou. What brings you to Inazuma? How is young Kazuha doing these days?” She could almost see the kitsune’s fur bristle at the interruption.

“Raiden Shogun! Man, it’s been a while. Glad to see things have calmed down here. Not nearly as much lightning as last time,” she exclaimed with a wink. “Kazuha is doin’ just fine. He’s been a real asset to the crew. I’m just here as an envoy for Ning- I mean, the Lady Tianquan. She’d never admit it publicly, but she’s actually a huge fan of these light novel things. Just gonna bring a few back for her and let her know all is well between our nations.”

“I’m very happy to hear that. I hate to intrude, but I really must speak with Guuji Yae. I’ll be sure to send her back your way in just a moment.”

“No problem! Was just about to sample some of the local sake. Take all the time you need!”

With a polite nod, Ei gripped Miko’s arm with a force that made the woman wince.

“Ah! What’s the matter with you?” She hissed under her breath.

“I’d like to ask you the same thing,” the Shogun shot back as she subtly guided her between a pair of buildings just outside of the Outlander Affairs Agency.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

The kitsune rolled her eyes. “And what, pray tell, am I doing? Putting on the best event Inazuma has ever seen? Well then, lock me up and throw me in the police detention center. I seem to remember you being fond of…seeing me in restraints.”

Ei slammed her hands against the wall beside the woman’s head, Miko’s back now flat against the structure. “If restraining you is what it takes to keep your hands off Kujou Sara, I’ll do whatever I need to.”

The Guuji felt her heart rate soar. “Is that what this is all about? My, my, Ei. You left me alone for 500 years. You think you get to decide who I tease? Get over yourself. I fear nothing. Not even an archon.”

The Shogun felt a tinge of pain in her chest. She knew she had no right to be upset over a little bit of harmless flirting. She knew, and yet…she didn’t care. She was hers for eternity. Hadn’t they settled on as much the first night they reunited?

“Miko…I know I’ve hurt you.” To this day, the gentle way Ei said her name made her knees weak.

“Hurt is an understatement,” she replied quietly, trying to maintain the higher ground. The sounds from the festival were the only thing ensuring they weren’t enveloped in a painful, awkward silence.

The Shogun moved her hand from the wall, her thumb softly tracing the other woman’s bottom lip. “I’m more than prepared to spend the next 500 years making you never forget you’re mine.”

“And why would I want to be yours?”

“Because we both know we can’t survive eternity without the other.”

“…Archons I hate it when you’re right,” she muttered before taking Ei’s face between her palms and capturing her mouth in a ferocious kiss. She felt the Shogun relax against her, her muscles no longer tense from the prior conversation. Their tongues danced against each other as Ei pushed her harder into the wall. Wedging her leg between Miko’s, she parted her thighs, preparing her for what was to come. In her excitement, the kitsune bit the other woman’s lip just a little too hard, her fangs drawing blood.

“Gah! Damnit, Miko! I thought we had established that everything was fine…”

“Come now, it was all in good fun,” she chuckled. Remembering her prior comment about restraints, Ei smiled wickedly before wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. She removed the ribbon from her braid and used it to tie the Guuji’s wrists together. Grabbing her by the chin, she made her look her in the eyes.

“Now behave this time.”

Miko’s cheeks flushed as adrenaline pumped through her. “Yes, dear.”

The Shogun nodded and then dropped to her knees. Shifting the kitsune’s skirt up, she kissed up her inner thigh and heard her whimper in response. Nibbling the tender skin, she continued to ascend.

“Fuck…Ei…get on with it…”

She carefully moved the crotch of her panties to the side before licking her arousal directly from the source. Reacting to the sensation, Miko flung her bound wrists around her head, pulling her in deeper. The Shogun plunged her tongue into her, her nose nudging the sensitive bud above.

The Guuji gasped quietly, trying not to attract the attention of a group of event attendees walking to the booths nearby.

“Archons…Ei…hurry…”

“What, are you worried you won’t get to come before someone finds us? Don’t worry, love, I’m the Shogun. What are they going to do?” She resumed her lapping, increasing the pressure of the flat of her tongue as she stroked her clit with it.

“Fuck…fuck…fuck…there!” She cried through clenched teeth, her hips swaying to ride out the feeling. Rising to her feet, Ei kissed her hard as she undid the knot around her wrists, freeing her. The taste of herself on her lover’s lips drove the Guuji mad with desire. Grabbing her girlfriend’s arms, she forced her to face the wall.

“Miko…what the hells are you doing?”

“My turn. Hands on the wall, dear.” She did so reluctantly, and the kitsune positioned herself behind her. “It’s one thing to catch the Shogun doing what she pleases to her familiar, but what would they think if they saw me fucking you?”

Before Ei could answer her, she felt the cool of the night air against the skin of her backside. Goodness, she moves fast, she thought. Miko yanked her panties down and lightly kicked her shin in a signal for her to widen her stance. “Bend over a little further for me, little one.” She usually reserved that term of endearment for those on the younger side, but Ei would never admit that it made her stomach flip.

“That’s my girl,” she purred as she carefully inserted her thumb in her ass. The Shogun felt her eyes roll to the back of her head.

“Ohhhhhhh Miko…”

“You always take me so well,” she responded as she inserted another pair of fingers into her dripping-wet pussy. “Don’t be shy. Make a little noise for me, love.” She tried to coax a louder groan from her by curling her fingers inside of her.

“Ah…we must…agh! Be careful…too many people…”

“Tsk. I suppose you’re right. I did invite that girl from The Steambird to cover the event. We don’t want to end up on the front page, now, do we? I’ll make it quick.”

Miko moved with expert precision, hitting every sweet spot she had come to know after many passionate nights they had shared after Ei’s return. The Shogun turned her head, her moans buried in the sleeve of her kimono.

“That’s right, dear. Come for me,” the kitsune commanded as her lover bounced with the thrusting of her fingers.

“Fuck…Mikoooooooo!” She gasped, choking on her cries of ecstasy. The two leaned against the wall next to each other, both breathing heavily and looking disheveled from the night’s revelry.

“Lady Yae! Mistress Publisher? Where are you?” The voice cut through the chatter of the townspeople not too far from where they stood.

Miko wiped her hands on the handkerchief she kept with her and sighed. “Apparently, duty calls. Would you mind escorting me for the rest of the evening?”

Ei straightened the skirt of her kimono before replying, “Depends. Going to pull more of that stunt you did with Sara earlier tonight?”

The kitsune smirked and mirrored her question. “Depends. Does it mean you’ll devour me like that again later?”

[accomplisheddoubt]

Some Kind of Lepacy Outline

“A Lepacy is a legacy-style challenge focusing heavily on the content and features of each expansion pack.”

This is just a rough outline. Each generation will explore at least one stuff, game, or expansion pack and almost everything not included in a generation (i.e. traits, aspirations) will be randomized. With an exception here and there if something truly makes sense for a generation but was a base game trait/etc. Or a secondary aspiration may be chosen. If a generation includes more than 3 traits or traits that conflict with one another, some remaining traits/aspirations/etc may be given to the next generation or so forth.

If you are interested in following this outline for your own gameplay, please consider using the hashtag #some kind of lepacy

Personally, I play with an adjusted age span that falls somewhere in-between short and normal lifespans. I also keep everything disabled until I "unlock" it through gameplay. The only gameplay mods I am currently using are bits of Lumpinou's Relationship & Pregnancy Overhaul and First Impressions. I also have MC Command Center set to a 55% chance for try for baby and 4% risky woohoo enabled. With autonomous woohoo and try for baby allowed.

Generation One

Base Game, Desert Luxe, Artist Studio 

Generation Two 

Outdoor Retreat + Little Campers as child 

 Get to Work as young adult

Objective: Run a bakery

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast

Reward Traits: Great Storyteller, Stoves and Grills Master, Incredibly Friendly

Skills: Herbalism, Baking

Collections: Insects

Generation Three

Poolside Splash and First Fits Kits as child

Spa Day, Everyday Clutter, Sweet Slumber as teen

Luxury Party, Modern Luxe as young adult

Objective: Make money providing Spa Services

Aspiration: Self-Care Specialist (priority), Inner Peace, Zen Guru 

Traits: Squeamish, High Maintenance

Skills: Wellness

Generation Four

Grunge Revival as teen

Get Together as young adult or teen 

Objective: Host a dance party

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack

Traits: Insider, Dance Machine

Skills: Dancing, DJ Mixing

Generation Five

Dine Out as child

Perfect Patio, Cool Kitchen as young adult

Objective: Run a restaurant

Collections: Experimental Food Prints

Generation Six

Movie Hangout as teen 

City Living, industrial loft kit as young adult  

Aspiration: City Native

Traits: Unflirty

Skills: Singing

Career: Critic, Politician, or Social Media

Collections: San Myshuno Festival T-shirts, Human Statue Outfit, Food Stall Recipes

Generation Seven

Vampires, Romantic Garden, Vintage Glamour, Storybook Nursery as teen or young adult?

Aspiration: Good Vampire, Master Vampire, Vampire Family

Skills: Pipe Organ, Vampire Lore

Generation Eight

Bowling as teen

Parenthood, Kids Room, Backyard, Bathroom Clutter as young adult

Objective: Host family bowling nights and dedicate life to children

Aspiration: Super Parent

Traits: None included, but make Family-Oriented

Skills: Bowling, Parenting

Collections: Voidcritter Cards

Generation Nine

My First Pet as child

Cats and Dogs as young adult 

Objective: Run a successful veterinary office

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Traits: Cat Lover, Dog Lover

Skills: Pet Training, Veterinarian

Collections: Rodent Postcards, Feathers

Generation Ten  

Laundry Day as teen

Jungle Adventure as young adult

Objective: Explore all tombs

Aspiration: Archaeology Scholar, Jungle Explorer

Traits: None, but highly consider love outdoors

Skills: Archeology, Selvadoradian Culture

Collections: Ancient Omiscan Artifacts, Omiscan Treasures, Relics, Jungle Souvenirs

Generations 11 onward are still in an extremely rough draft as I plan which packs should be combined versus played independently per generation. And will be added here once I've figured it out.

[supremechancellorrex]

Now, I gotta say, I find it interesting how there are some people that target you for stating your opinion on fiction. I've had this same Jedi-stan user sending me tens and tens of comments which are based on denial and opinion rather than any logical argument. Now, they're telling others not to read my arguments because... what, it's too scary? They literally reblog my post with a quite insulting argument and then quickly block me because they don't want me to respond.

Well, too bad.

This isn't even an argument based on logic. You just stated your opinion and acted like it was a fact, anyone else who believes differently is doing so "foolishly", more "foolishly" than a child apparently. Because despite much evidence to the contrary in children's media, apparently 'villains' never have any depth or say the truth ever, according to you.

Slick: "Yes, she offered me money. But she offered me something more important, something you wouldn't understand: freedom!"

You know the one thing Slick doesn't actually have? It's freedom. Because, he is a slave, that is a fact. Let's go through the fact that slave isn't a title you award but a state of existence and being, a slave by definition is: "a person who is forced to work for and obey another and is considered to be their property; an enslaved person." That is the clones to a T. Just because Slick was selfish doesn't just invalidate he described a situation which still has not been refuted and instead has been only proven over and over again.

Now, you say "the clones are property of the Republic", and they are under the command... of the Jedi, who are generals and part of the Republic command structure. Legally, the Jedi may not have a say in the fate of the clone troopers other than being in charge of their daily actions and organisation for years, but illegally? Are you claiming that the Jedi could not even think to organise a mass desertion? When the law is unjust, you challenge it, you break it. Now, you try to absolve them here by saying that they had no choice because the Separatists were a threat to the Republic, an institution that supports slavery for its own ends. You may hate it but "Cool motive, still slavery" still applies here. Any institution that supports having an enslaved army does not deserve to exist, and that includes the Jedi Order's support of the Republic.

As for your non-sequitur on the placement of the episode, this is just pointless. There is no basis to discount an episode just because it wasn't in Season 4. This adds nothing to your argument and is just a complete fallacy.

You can't really make this argument on a number of basises. One, the writing intentions have clearly changed since that initial George Lucas' quote decades ago. Not only this, but George Lucas doesn't even own Star Wars anymore and Disney are now in charge, with Dave Filoni and a number of other writers making significant contributions.

Dave Filoni: "So I think that trying to draw these paths of the Jedi and the choices they make and how they wind up good or bad … Yoda isn’t afraid in the prequels to say the Jedi are flawed and that they’ve become greedy and self-interested and arrogant. That helps you understand why they’re going to lose the Clone War and why they’re so ripe for the picking."

I think this quote speaks for itself. Also, I think it was very clear that George Lucas, a man well-known for changing his mind and who was still the executive producer, was on Ahsoka's side in the Wrong Jedi Arc. Otherwise at some point the narrative would have refuted her assertions on the Jedi Order, that's just basic storytelling.

Now, onto the clones. You essentially admit that the draft is essentially slavery in the clones' case. The clones are property and are referred to as such, they can't leave, they can't vote, they have no rights and this has been the case since they were fetuses in tubes. Let's look at Umbara again.

Fives: "We did it. We took Umbara."

Captain Rex: "What’s the point of all this? I mean, why?"

Fives: "I don’t know, sir. I don’t think anybody knows. But I do know that someday this war is gonna end."

Captain Rex: "Then what? We’re soldiers. What happens to us then?"

Considering the fact that the Senate are voting on whether to "decommission" the clones like a product in the Bad Batch, I think it's safe to say that Captain Rex's fears were confirmed. Senator Riyo Chuchi, an actual good person in a bad system, is literally fighting to give the clones any rights at all in the Bad Batch, and she is a lonely voice.

Riyo Chuchi: "[The Clones] are not droids to simply be shut down. These are soldiers who defended us, defended our worlds"

Meanwhile, when the Jedi wax on about the end of the War, they just assume they'll be fulfilling the same duties they did before the war. This is because the Jedi are privileged and are treated as citizens during the War, able to walk around completely uncumbered and engage on a conversational level with the elite. They can also leave the Order, especially if they break the code, which is not something allowed for the clones. They may be servants, but they aren't property, and they have more tools to push back and fight the Senate, which they can walk around freely in a venerated position. You practically say this throughout your argument. Over all, the Jedi are drafted, the clones are slaves. There is a difference in the power dynamic.

The Clone Wars waived the right to be dismissed solely as "It's just a superificial kids show, don't criticise" when it decided to deal with dark, serious topics, including the Republic's growing authoritarianism, political maneuvering, slaughter and murder. All those cases of the Jedi challenging their leaders simply make it more egregious that the Jedi never advocated for the clones to the same level. The fact Mace Windu is willing to fight tooth and nail for the Zillo Beast, however demonstrates no passion to fight for the clone rights, who are slaves soldiers under his command, is actually a pretty bad look. There are also clones that died around the same time as Even Piell, yet they get no rites either.

It's funny you mention Qui Gon Jinn because his opposition to the Jedi Council has been noted previously and it is a critique of the Jedi Order.

Dave Filoni: "I think Qui-Gon in a lot of ways represents the kind of path the Jedi are supposed to be on. He’s the one that’s the most compassionate. But he has no ambition to be part of the council. He feels he can’t do what he needs to do if he’s a part of that. That thinking and that philosophy is from what Dooku taught him. Dooku was a free-thinker and was looking out for people."

Oh, you know Dooku too? The guy who said "The Jedi blindly serve a corrupt Senate that fails the Republic it represents." Looks like he imparted some spirit to his Padawan. Ultimately, this actually supports my arguments that the Jedi Order have lost their way as an institution. Now, earlier you say it "sucks" the Jedi can't allegedly speak out because of the draft, at the same time you... have Jedi speaking out on every topic that isn't clones. Hmm.

Well, mademoiselle-cookie, you have crossed into antisemitic territory here and it's shockingly disgusting of you. The Jedi should not be considered an expy of Jewish people, because that would be really racist of the writers and very misrepresentative. Jewish people are not a fictional order of magic monks that wave lightsabers around, fighting wars with state-owned clone slaves, believe it or not. Going through your argument until now has been bearable, but this really takes the cake. I've warned people to stop using real-life minority groups as meat-shields for their fictional favs, however it seems that privileged people will often use minority groups instinctively for their benefit. The fact you accuse me, a mixed race gay man, as being the type to fall for Nazi lies because I critique the Jedi Order is just the icing on the cake.

Also, you argue "it's a kid's show" and then it's a direct allegory for the Holocaust, one of the darkest periods in human history, at the same time, huh? If this were the case, it would mean it's portrayal is even more important to critique without exception.

But, moving on from your just completely inappropriate allegory. So, the Jedi have a "choice" as you just state. That's much more the clones ever had and that is a privilege. You're essentially arguing for the Jedi to stand back and do nothing by choice while earlier you also argued that the Jedi had to do something in regards to the War as it was the moral choice but also that they 'don't' have a choice. Meanwhile, the Jedi were shown to be willing to overthrow Palpatine given the 'proper motivation', but due to their lack of compassion I guess the enslavement of millions of men such as the clones just wasn't important enough. Your argument falls apart because the Jedi did try to overthrew Palpatine in the end, just not for the slaves.

Using the "Bad guys lie" trope in an absolute capacity is also not an argument. You're just stating your opinion as a fact again and it's very 'convenient' your metric. I could reply "Good guys can be wrong and don't always tell the truth" and we'd, like your point, get nowhere.

Finally, an interesting point. There's no denying that Ahsoka did not make the situation as squeaky clean in her desperation, however ultimately my point still stands that Mace Windu, and I quoted him, said "I understand your sentiment, Obi-Wan. But, if the council does as you suggest. It could be seen as an act of opposition to the Senate. I'm afraid we have little choice."

At the end of the day, the Jedi do have a choice despite what Windu says. The choice was political. The ruling isn't unanimous, because doubts are expressed, but as Mace Windu says what they view as important in response to Obi-Wan saying things don't add up regarding Ahsoka is to focus how it looks to the Senate, a Senate that supports authoritarianism, corruption and slavery. The Jedi arguably lie to themselves and say they support justice, but they don't ultimately. As Jedi Master Dooku, the described "free-thinker", says: "The Jedi blindly serve a corrupt Senate that fails the Republic it represents."

Hmm, you don't seem to understand what an "unreliable narrator" actually is. With your use especially, every single character ever could be described as an unreliable narrator, I can describe Mace Windu as an unreliable narrator or Obi-Wan. I could literally flip your argument and claim the Jedi are unreliable narrators who only think they're doing good because they were raised in an environment which told them this from a young age and ultimately they were propping up a failing, authoritarian, corrupt 'Republic'.

I don't think you realise that Ahsoka's story would not have been presented the way it was in Season 7 if the narrative was not on her side. There were key cues in its structure and quotations that were critical of the Jedi Order, who were mostly in opposition to Ahsoka narratively.

Ahsoka: "This is why the people have lost faith in the Jedi. I had, too, until I was reminded of what the Order means to people who truly need us.” 

What a coincidence that Obi-Wan, a man gifted with the gab, fails to counter this criticism as well. Just like Slick.

We literally see the Jedi propping up the Republic system for the near entirely of the War. They allowed "the destruction of innocent life-forms", the clones, men brainwashed and forced into combat. They also conducted military investigations, deferred to the Senate, and I think it's very telling that Rex did not reveal Cut Lawquane's location to either the Jedi or the rest of the Republic. As Generals, they are a part of the hierarchy, and they support the Republic, a hegemony of laws and demarcations. Also, last I checked, Satine isn't a slave, I only wish Obi-Wan had gone out of his way to protect the clones as people, but I guess he only does that for citizens.

As for Order 66, again, this isn't an argument on your part. I'm well-aware of events, nor did I say they deserved to be murdered. The Jedi Order, specificially their leadership, made "poor choices" and it screwed them over. I also find your Nazi allegory more disgusting personally, but whatever. Now, let's see what the Jedi are actually doing.

Dave Filoni: "They’ve, as an institution, existed for a very long time. It doesn’t mean they’re evil or bad, but they’re making a lot of poor choices, and they can’t get out ahead of things in part because they’re desperately attempting to do things the right way and take an even stance.”

The centrist stance the Jedi take on most matters clearly contributed to their downfall. They made "poor choices" and I am critiquing them for it because allowing slavery at the heart of the Republic is not just a poor choice, but a stupid and immoral one. They are 'desperately attempting to do things the right way', but they don't, and this is why actual criticisms are levied at them. Again, I never argued the Jedi were evil, I argued they should be held accountable for their flaws and mistakes, like everyone should be.

I like how you completely misunderstood my point here despite many other people getting it. The problem is that the Jedi do have a choice, it's just a difficult one. However just because doing the right thing is difficult does not mean you shouldn't do it. The problem with the Jedi allowing countless clones, who are slaves, to die for years and that not prompt them to confront, combat or even overthrow the Republic is it makes them very morally bankrupt. As soon as the Republic said it was going to utilise slaves, the Jedi should have realised the Republic was the enemy of human decency itself. But, as we know from just watching Star Wars media with basic critical thinking or this exchange in Rebels...

Ezra: "Master Yoda, you’re powerful. You must know a way to destroy Vader and his Inquisitors.”

Master Yoda: “Padawan, thousands of Jedi once there were. Then came war. In our arrogance, joined the conflict swiftly we did. Fear, anger hate. Consumed by the dark side the Jedi were.”

I think you need to add more depth to your idea of "good". The Jedi were complicit in their own downfall. The fact you have to jump through so many 'logical' hoops to 'explain' and 'absolve' them is evidence enough. The fact you also dismiss all criticism of the Jedi as anti-Jedi propaganda, even when coming from its own members, from Yoda to Ahsoka, who clearly the narrative sides with. Now, as for your 'the citizens did nothing too' whataboutism argument? Yep. So, if you're arguing the Jedi are as bad as Republic citizens who also enabled clone slavery, then sure, a little 'harsh' of you, but that's what you're actually saying here. Plus, you keep both stating the Jedi have a choice and don't have a choice when it suits you throughout this argument.

And, regardless of whether the SW writers verbally acknowledge the word slavery, it is the story they present by saying the clones are "property" who "have no representation in the Senate". You should watch the Riyo Chuchi episodes in Bad Batch again, because this should be impossible to miss in the discussion of "clone rights". Your attempted use of 'rhetorical' questions instead of an actual argument is also pretty uninspired.

You literally didn't "debunk" anything, mademoiselle-cookie. As usual, you used ad hominem attacks, misused terminology, made antisemitic allegories, and now you're upset someone expressed an opinion you dislike. The fact you warn other people not to read my opinion as if you're the guardian of Jedi stan tumblr and they couldn't bear having someone make a post they don't agree with is also hilarious, I would hope people are full of sterner stuff. After all, people always have a choice, whether to read or not.