#the way i can chat shit about my fav characters to no end no questions asked at any given time

[johnfdonovan]

tagged by @sirgawin, thank you!

make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. see which character is everyone’s fave!

tagging @gaypkins @blakescho @knifeprtys and anyone else who sees this who wants to do it (you can still tag me and i'll vote in your poll!!) no obligation as always though!! :3

[lowkeyremi]

Haikyuu men as fathers pt 4.

Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

100 follower special!! THANK YOU GUYS!!

Ft. Semi, Aran, Noya, Akaashi

The age range of the kids will differ for each character but it’s from babies up til like 17 or 18

CW: Indication of pregnancy, relationships, marriage, and certain styles of parenting

Enjoy lovelies <33

………………..

Semi Eita:

“That’s it sweetheart, keep going.” Semi coos at his 3 year old who is playing a little pink guitar (for children) she’s singing the words to You Are My Sunshine while Semi was recording her.

Why? Well, to cheer you up. Your friend was going through some really hard stuff that made you feel very upset so you went to help her out. Meaning Semi was to take care of your sweet toddler.

“Shunshine, you are mah shunshine!” She sung happily, Semi couldn’t bring himself to correct her wording. “You make me happy- uh what rest of da words daddy?” She asks still strumming the guitar out of tune.

He whispers the words as not to interrupt the video, “when skies are gray.”

“When skies are gway!” She sets the guitar down after singing that line.

“Daddy I done, send to Mommy.” She says eagerly and he chuckles. Your long time boyfriend (now fiancé) stops the recording and sends it to you.

“I think mommy will love this video.” He says holding his arms out for Kana to sit in his lap.

“I hope it make her feel happy, you think she really like it?” Kana asks playing with her small fingers.

“I think she’ll love it, would you like to play the piano, my dear?” Your home is filled with a bunch of instruments and Semi loves letting his little girl choose something each day to try to see if she’ll be a musical genius.

“Hmmm,” she taps her chin and responds, “I wanna play drums.” He moves his hair out of his face and picks his daughter up to take her to the music room where Semi works on songs and holds practice for his band.

“Drums it is!” He says and Kana claps her hands and does a little cheer.

Half way through their drum session Semi gets a phone call from you. When he picks it up he puts it in speaker.

“Hey baby, you’re on speaker.” He informs.

“Hey,” you say sounding tired. “Where’s my sweet pumpkin who sung for me?” You ask over the phone. Kana sets down the drum sticks and practically runs over to Semi’s phone.

“Me! It’s me mommy!” She says bouncing up and down.

“Thank you Kana, that made mommy feel much better.” You tell her which makes her giggle.

“Thank you mommy! What else I sing?” She asks. Your precious three year old is definitely ready to sing another song for you.

“How about row, row, row your boat?” You asked knowing it was an easy song that Kana knew.

“OO! OKAY!” She took a deep breath and started to sing.

“Row, row, row-” she stopped and you planned to ask her why but she answers the question that doesn’t come out of your mouth.

“Daddy! Why you not singing? Mommy loves when Daddy sings!” She practically scolds.

His deep chuckle is heard on your end. “Sorry, sorry. Let’s sing it together.”

Your two most precious people sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. You felt better by the end of it. After Kana talked to you for a bit Semi dismissed her to play the drums while he chatted with you for awhile.

In the end you two talk about how precious your beautiful daughter is.

he sings his little girl to sleep as often as he can

they make up new songs together all the time 🥺

DREADS leaving for concerts

omg he loves it when u guys come to his concerts

he'll be like "shout out to my beautiful wife and baby girl who made this opportunity possible"

tbh he's lost ur daughter a few times " oh shit... i thought she was w you"

he has his two fav girls tatted on his shoulders

Aran Ojiro:

Fifteen year old Mei walked over to her father, she noticed him rubbing his temples.

"You okay, Daddy?" ahe asked worried for him.

"Yeah I'm good baby girl, momma and i just got into again. We'll make up with each other, though." Aran explains rubbing his goatee.

Mei walks over to him and gives him a hug.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. It's not your fault that I got dress coded." Aran didn't say anything in return, he was sighs realizing how unaware he was when arguing with you.

"I talked to momma about it, you didn't know the skirt was too short. It looks a lot like my other one, right?" She states.

He was starting to realize how childish the argument was. Mei's school is very strict so the fact the skirt was two inches shorter than it needed to be was beyond Aran's understanding. He hadn't even noticed the difference.

It only became a problem because you had to leave work to pick up Mei. Aran couldn't because he had a game. When he came home you started arguing with him. He argued back because you pinned the blame on him. After all, he was responsible for getting Mei and Koro to school.

"Yeah it does. Is Koro sleep?" He asks his daughter.

"I put him down before y'all started arguing." She says retracting from the hug.

"I'm really sorry, I don't like when you and momma fight." Aran frowns, you two have been fighting more often than usual.

"I know baby, I think momma is stressed with a lotta stuff. I mean she's finally back from maternal leave, she's working toward a promotion, and some other things. I just gotta be more mindful."

Before Mei can respond you emerge from upstairs, "Go on Mei, momma needs to talk to daddy in private." It doesn't go unnoticed how Mei gives her dad a thumbs up before making her way upstairs.

"Aran, baby, i'm sorry.. Mei told me what happened." You say quietly. You had no idea what you were expecting but it wasn't your husband holding his arms out for you.

He embraces you quietly for a few minutes. and then he responds.

"I know things have been rough lately. I just want you to know, I still love you." He explains softly.

That shouldn't have made you tear up but it did.

"I love you too, Aran. Always." You say mirroring his previous statement.

SUCH A GOOD COOK

He was amazing helping you thru pregnancy i mean that man worked his ass off

You two agreed on no more kids after Mei but Koro came long sooooo

He loves both his babies dearly, he doesn't have a fav

Hates arguing with you :((

Not allowed to take them to stores cuz he's weak to their puppy dog eyes

He's 100% a dad superhero to his kids

Nishinoya Yuu:

Noya stared down his toddler. The little man started babbling very loudly.

"Don't you get an attitude with me, Akio. You think you're so high and mighty cuz, you're the result of my sperm!" He says in a teasing voice.

"Nishinoya Yuu he is two years ol-" you were cut off by your son.

"Sp-erm!" he says and claps. Noya mutters an 'oopsie' and you glare at him. "Yuu! Stop saying stuff like that in front of him," you scold.

"Well, tell him to stop copying me." Akio looks at his dad, "Stop, stop, stoooooooooop." You couldn't help but giggle it was so interesting seeing your son find his voice.

"Bye bye. Akio go bye bye." He says struggling to get down from the couch. Once he's down he starts running towards the bathroom.

"Yuu, make sure he's going potty and not playing in toilet water... again." Noya makes his way to the bathroom. After a few second you hear a groan followed by, "Akio, noooooo."

Your son can be heard laughing followed by, "daddy, noooooo."

"Dude toilet water is not something to play with." Noya sighs.

"Fuck you!" The two year old yells and you gasp loudly.

"Huh, wonder where you learned that, kid." Noya chuckled sheepishly.

"Nishinoya Yuu!" You yell and he comes into the dining room with your cute little trouble maker who had nothing on besides his pull-up.

"Ooooo daddy get trouble."

Noya begins muttering, "I don't- he must've... Tanaka..." you tap your foot and your two year old giggles.

"Tanaka what? Speak up, babe." you say with your arms crossed.

"Tanaka and I were watching a volleyball game with Akio and we were betting... the team I was betting on won so tanaka screamed f you when my team won by one point." Noya explains.

"Akio, that's a no no word, okay? We don't say everything we hear others say." You scold your son because not only is it Noya's fault it's his fault too.

"Otay mommy." Noya puts your little menace down.

"Let's go get you bathed little dude." He says smuggly.

"Good idea." When they're out of ears reach you sigh rather loudly.

You love your two guys but it can be tiring when your husband stoops to a two year old's level.

The type to be like "you want a piece of me little man?"

More often than not instead of handling a situation normally he'll get on his son's level

He stopped traveling so often to settle down with you

He and his son are always getting into some form of trouble

He made your son think popsicles are a sustainable breakfast

Butttt when you're gone he does pull himself together and makes an amazing father

He and Akio take naps together, being a menace is not easy work

Akaashi Keiji:

"No! The monster will get me!" Ami yells as she runs away from Bokuto.

"Papa save me!" She yells out to Akaashi.

"Honey, your Uncle Bokuto isn't a monster." he explains.

Bokuto pouts at Ami's reaction, any time he's over she gets scared. The scared little girl crawls into her father's lap for comfort. Akaashi rubs her little back and she hugs him close.

"I don't try to be scarey, Ami. I brought you candy!" Bokuto exclaims with the candy in his hand. It seems to work for a second because she turns her head to look at him. He smiles at her and she makes a small 'hmph' and nuzzles her head in her father's stomach.

"Come on, bun. Don't be shy, your uncle is really cool.." his voice lowers and he mutters, "at least most of the time he is." Ami hears this and giggles.

"Okay papa... you gotta hold my hand though, just in case." She says shyly.

Akaashi nods his head confirming he'll listen to his daughter's request. She cautiously approaches Bokuto. He holds out the candy for her to take, without hesitation the young girl grabs the candy and remembers her manners.

"Thank.. you." she says to bokuto. He beams at her and nods.

"That's my girl, you've got great manners." Akaashi says with a very small smile.

Everyone turns their head to the door because they hear it unlocking. "Ami, mommy's home with the kitten!" You yell.

Ami jumps up and down quickly forgetting she was even scared, "What did the vet say?! Will Popcorn be okay?!" She asks all at once.

"The vet said Popcorn has perfect health." Ami squeals in excitement. She runs over to the carrier to open it up so her kitten could come out.

Akaashi looks at his daughter in awe, "she's just like you." You know who he's refering to. He believes that your daughter looks more like you but you think it's the opposite.

"Papa come hold Popcorn!" Ami says. Akaashi walked toward the cat carrier and picked up the kitten. Ami was a giggling mess.

"Akaashi! I always knew you'd make a good father!" Bokuto exclaims dramatically.

"Huh, you really think so?" Akaashi asks and Bokuto can't get a word in because you're quick to interrupt.

"We know so!" Well, everyone knows so. Akaashi is calm and rational after all. He completes you and your daughter.

Stay at home dad (i don't make the rules)

His daughter is a daddy's girl

He initially said no to a kitten but you and your daughter begged until he said yes

Pretty calm in most situations

Surprisingly didn't freak out when he found out you were pregnant

He did so much research on how to be a dad because he didn't wanna mess up

VERY protective of his daughter

He bakes with his daughter as a hobby

[na-klar]

Fave nora machwitz quotes pls

*rubs palms together* let’s do this! (also thank you for giving me an excuse to rewatch season 5 and 6!)

i love nora so much, she’s my favorite character in the whole skam universe and her season is my favorite as well, so i had so much fun rewatching and writing down my favorite quotes! the writers really went all out for season 5

“do you feel it too?” -- the trailer for season 5, one of my fav things ever and this question in particular means so much in hindsight. like we didn’t even know what greatness we signed up for god bless

(to fatou) “you like her, don’t you?” -- the first time we learned that fatou likes girls <3

“guys, i’m in” -- nora supporting ava!! also this is the line that started a beautiful friendship

(ismail: “you’re hanging out with her now?”) “with ava? yeah.” -- hell yes girl defend your best friend against her bullies!!

“wow, you guys are so cool. an entirety of ten people are here!” -- pleaseeee she’s so cool ridiculing the instas and their stupid parking lot rave

“you guys don’t rule the whole fucking year. you walk through school thinking you’re the absolute shit and put people down only because you have an inferiority complex. i’m not going to be a part of this any more.” -- QUEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“maybe stop repeating everything constantin says and stand by your own opinion” -- she said this to ismail in a chat but she’s so right honestly fuck ismail they were so rude in season 5 and i think we easily forgot about it because they portrayed ismail nicer in season 6

“i just want to tell you that i don’t miss you at all. really, i don’t, i actually stopped feeling anything at all, isn’t that great? i mean, i’m not cold or hot or... or i’m not even scared that something could happen to you or that you die because you’re drunk. i hope you’re making progress as good as i am.” -- this whole scene was heartbreaking but so well done and the way nora managed to express so many of her feelings (or lack thereof :() in such few words is amazing

“this is really the greatest thing... i don’t know why i didn’t do this earlier. everything doesn’t fucking matter, mom was right. this really is the greatest thing. [...] i’m just like mom. i’m sorry.” -- god, another heartbreaking scene that ripped my whole entire being into pieces. wonderfully written and so well executed, mina’s acting here is phenomenal and idk honestly how to put into words how much the “i’m just like mom” hurt like how can words hurt that much?

(text to her mom) “i need to take care of myself now.” -- finally putting herself first, standing up to her mom and getting the help she needs, absolutely love this development

“i feel you!” and “i had a fucking cramp in my leg” -- how iconic was this please that whole reunion scene with josh was so beautiful but these two lines just make my heart go absolutely bonkers

“i don’t want these feelings to go away again” -- excuse me while i crawl into my bed and cry, nora deserves the world and i’m so glad she’s getting help and has her friends, sisters and josh at her side. favorite character ever, favorite season ever, favorite remake ever :’)

these are my fav nora quotes from season 5, i didn’t include season 6 because she sadly wasn’t in many clips there :( but nora telling fatou that they’re staying together forever at the end of their heartfelt conversation needs to be mentioned here and it’s also one of my fav lines ever!

[kodzukenscorner]

Akaashi, Sakusa, and Iwaizumi in a long distance relationship

anon asked: Can you please do a headcanon for Akaashi, Sakusa, and Iwaizumi, where they have a long distance relationship and when they meet their s/o for the first time in person?

a/n: ok how did you know who my three fav characters were-- but fr can you tell how whipped i am for them

wc: 1,457

✶   ✶   ✶   ✶   ✶

Akaashi

You and Akaashi had started texting when he got your number from your school’s volleyball team roster

You were the manager of a rival team and he took it upon himself to text you, trying to set up some sort of practice match or training camp

Normally Bokuto or one of their managers would be in charge of that but since they were in their third year and busy enough, Akaashi decided to do it

You were extremely nice and respectful over text and he was happily surprised when you two started communicating

Soon enough your texts became more frequent and they started drifting away from the topic of volleyball

You had started by asking him how long he had been playing volleyball and why he started in the first place and that led to asking about his childhood and other hobbies he has

He returned the questions and the two of you started spilling your life stories to each other

Your texts were a daily ritual and every time you had a free moment, you were definitely texting each other

Akaashi was getting teased by his teammates for it, wondering who the mystery girl who had caught his attention was, but he wasn’t going to tell them

He texted you once saying his teammates thought the two of you were dating

He nearly combusted when you texted back saying you wouldn’t mind if the two of you were dating

And just like that your subtly flirtatious texts were now more overtly romantic and you were calling each other by sweet pet names and nicknames

All this time and he still had no idea what you looked like 

Until the practice match you two had set up weeks ago finally came around

He was ready to jump out of his own skin when your team finally arrived at the gym and you lined up to greet each other

It was easy for him to spot you since you were the manager and he had told you his jersey number so you knew exactly who he was

You kept your eyes glued on each other the whole time

After the greetings were over the two of you slinked away to an isolated corner of the gym where you finally formally introduced yourselves

His heart skipped a beat when he heard your voice for the first time and he couldn’t help but blurt out the words he had been thinking since he first saw you

“I promise to take you on a real date after this match. I’m sorry we started dating in such an unconventional way, you deserve so much more because you’re wonderful and beautiful and-”

He wanted to keep going but he was desperately trying to fight back the blush that was rising on his face

And your laughter stopped him right in his tracks

Suddenly he had a new favorite sound

Sakusa

You two had first started talking in an online forum

Sakusa had a more difficult time than most when it came to making friends

He always came off as cold and people weren’t used to his prickly nature and aversion to germs and touch in general

So he turned to the internet to try and meet some like minded individuals, and that’s where he met you

He had posted in some forum complaining about people lacking basic hygiene

You responded to his post about people not properly drying their hands after washing them, agreeing with him

You two went back and forth complaining about proper bathroom etiquette until you stopped responding

He just assumed the conversation was over until you popped into his private messages

You were the one to first tell him that you wanted to get to know him better, you thought his dry sarcasm and straight forward responses and views were endearing

He was confused but he had come on here trying to make friends in the first place, so he obliged you

And so the two of you began chatting every day for weeks about everything and nothing

You were the first person he would turn to whenever he wanted to rant about something and you loved knowing that he trusted you enough to tell you these things

You were talking about face masks when you decided to be a bit bold and sent him a picture of yourself with your new mask, adorned with little weasels on them

Up until this moment Sakusa wasn’t really thinking about what you looked like but when he saw your photo he felt his breathing hitch

You tried to get him to send you a photo of himself by slyly asking what his mask looked like

Unfortunately he replied saying he usually wore plain white masks, nothing special

You sulked for most of the day afterward until, hours later, he sent you a selfie with his mask, unprompted

You gasped out loud, not at all expecting a picture or expecting him to be so...hot 

After that you started sharing selfies with him more frequently and every now and again he would send one back which always managed to make your heart soar

One day you took it a step further and asked him if he wanted to meet up somewhere quiet

To your surprise he actually said yes and you set up a date at a small cafe

He was extremely punctual so you weren’t surprised to see that he had arrived before you

Approaching the table he was seated at, you greeted him timidly and he nodded back at you

“I uh- got you this” You pulled out a handkerchief with little weasels on them, handing it to him

“You know, since our first conversation was about drying your hands and all”

You trailed off, unsure how to read his facial expressions but then after what felt like an eternity he took the handkerchief from your hands

You finally made eye contact with him and he slid his mask down, revealing his full face to you for the first time

He smiled sweetly at you “Thank you”

You practically melted right then and there

Iwaizumi

You were a relative of Oikawa’s and whenever the two of you talked, he always brought up his best friend “Iwa-Chan”

You knew plenty about him thanks to Oikawa’s incessant ramblings but you’d never actually seen him or spoken to him

Then as Oikawa’s birthday was coming around you decided you wanted to visit him as a surprise since it had been while since the two of you had seen each other

You didn’t want him to find out about it so you managed to get ahold of his best friend, Iwaizumi

Iwa also knew who you were, Oikawa had mentioned you a few times, so he was happy to help you plan out your trip and make sure Oikawa was at home when you showed up

You two talked over the phone and texted a bit, planning it all out and you confessed to him that Oikawa talked about him all of the time and you knew an embarrassing amount about his life

Then the two of you then started talking about yourselves and got to know each other better

He would call you every couple of days just to tell you about silly things Oikawa did to piss him off and really just to hear your voice

One day, as Oikawa’s birthday got closer, you suggested video chatting to finalize your plans

Iwa happily agreed and the two of you finally saw each other’s faces for the first time, even if it was just through a screen

You were so taken aback because you were not expecting him to be this attractive

He was the first to speak up, “Oh shit you’re hot”

He was quick to realize what he said and did his best to try and recover

You were laughing so hard you were nearly in tears

The conversation ended up being the two of you just chatting and talking about everything except Oikawa’s birthday

Then when his actual birthday came around, Iwa had constant butterflies in his stomach

He was supposed to pick you up from the train station while the others were supposed to make sure Oikawa was at home for when you arrived 

He spotted you first, waving you over to him

When you got up to him, you stopped in your tracks and he was confused until you opened your mouth

“Oh shit you’re hot”

He was a flustered mess, looking anywhere except at you while you just chuckled and took his hand in yours, walking towards the surprise party that was waiting

“I know I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m more excited to see you than Tooru”

“Me too” 

[algernoninwonderland]

Hi i rlly like ur blog and ur takes!!, whats your fav episode of ml?

Hi! Thanks! It may not look like it, but Miraculous isn't a show I that I hate, because I don't tend to watch shows that I hate unless I really want to rip them to shreds. Which requires some intellectual honesty, so I need to watch everything so that I can discuss everything.

Miraculous is a show that frustrates me, because I actually like quite a few episodes! So giving you only one answer is going to be super hard. Would two-parters be considered as one episode? Who knows. I'll try to give you two answers for each season, and my favourite season 4 episode this far.

So, season 1! It was a fun one, there are very few outright bad episodes, it was a very promising one overall!

Stormy Weather

It is, to me, the best season 1 episode, and maybe the best episode of the show proper. It's basically all of what Miraculous can be, condensed in twenty-two minutes, and while it also includes some of the show's flaws, they are rather minor here.

The storyboarding is stellar, the use of shot composition is genuinely terrific and so is the visual storytelling in general, the character acting is brilliant, the rendering is the best the show has ever gotten, the lighting is so expressive, they make full use of the show being 3DCG by moving the camera around in ways that make sense rather than having it spin around stupidly and meaninglessly as would often be the case later on. The character writing is really effective, so that, by the end of the episode, you know who these characters are, and you've got a few ideas of where the show could be going next and you find yourself wanting more. It establishes the storyworld and the basic character dynamics in a very efficient way and it made a strong impression on me. This is how you make a pilot episode.

The Origins two-parter.

It's the proof that the show can attempt character arcs and continuity and be good at it, and make the Love Square actually appealing and not a somewhat annoying gimmick. It captured what falling in love as a teenager actually feels like, and that's an impressive feat I've rarely seen anywhere else. Thank Étienne Guignard for the Umbrella Scene, he's the one who boarded it (he went on to work on some of the best sequences in Steven Universe: Future). Back then, “they're made for each other” made actual sense and didn't make me want to turn off the show. It's a satisfying two-parter.

Moving on to season 2! Which also did tons of interesting things which made up for less competently-written and animated episodes.

Dark Owl

Worldbuilding revolving around civilian characters? In my episode of Miraculous? It's a rarity but we love to see it! It's a very fun one, the pacing is great and M. Damoclès' Knightowl cosplay/Batman fantasy actually makes a lot of sense and is very entertaining. The Love Square interactions in this one are great, that bit of reveal for the kwamis actually felt impactful, something actually happens to M. Damoclès once he's been deakumatised and what caused his akumatisation in the first place is being addressed and solved. It's very enjoyable! Just thinking about this one makes me smile.

Riposte

I like sabre fencing. I like perfectionist “gifted” kids crushed by parental pressure who put on a front of coolness but are still just kids underneath. So of course I liked Riposte and I loved Kagami from the very start. The fencing animation is good, they get the timing and poses right, the rendering is actually pretty great for this one too. It makes sense that Marinette would behave this way and have such a strong bias against that other fencer, even without knowing that it's Kagami. It's not without its flaws, the reveal that “it's actually a girl and she's cute, and could this be a rival for Marinette?” annoys me, and “she's Japanese, therefore that whole Samurai BS, in the year of our lord 2017” makes sense considering who her mother was but we could only make inferences back then, also it doesn't make it any less orientalist bullshit. Nevertheless, it's an episode I really quite enjoyed.

Moving on to season 3!

It's my least-favourite season so far. Doesn't mean there aren't good moments in it. I would put Oblivio on this list if not for the last two minutes which are, if you'll pardon my French, utter dogshit that makes me hate what they're doing with Chat Noir, it kind of ruins everything. Because the rest of the episode is genuine fun, like, actually genuinely fun and then this shit happens. Desperada could be a good Adrien episode but it's disguised as a Luka episode and it's just not very memorable. Most plot-heavy episodes have very mediocre execution and questionable creative choices that make me frustrated with a lot of them.

Chris Master

It doesn't get talked about a lot, and I understand why, but I also really like this one. The art direction is fun and reminiscent of A Town Called Panic, one of my favourite Belgian cartoons ever, which uses real toys and stop motion. The animation is lovely, the show remembers that Marinette is a fashion designer for once. Chat Noir is fun. The akuma is fun. It's just a fun time overall! Sometimes, you just want to watch giant toys and weird flying fish and Miraculous delivers on that.

Ikari Gozen

Hate the orientalist BS, hate that they're doing the whole Samurai spiel in, wow, 2019, but aren't actively disproving it by having other characters not buying into that. These are the only two Japanese characters in the show for crying out loud. Hate that Kagami is still wearing a school uniform for no good reason, even when doing kendo. Despite these flaws, Ikari Gozen is great, for both Marinette and Kagami. It has some of the strongest character writing in this show and I didn't expect that.

Moving on to season 4! But you probably know what my favourite episode so far is, it's the same as everyone else's.

Gang of Secrets

It's not perfect, not by any means, but it does so many things right that I can't help but like it. It builds on everything the show has been so far, and it's a very gratifying experience for the viewer. Continuity gets to play a major role for once. Alya finally gets to be a fully-realised character again, the show stops treating sadness like a fashion accessory and actually does something good and clever with the theme of its episode. And most of everything clicks together in a way that delivers in terms of emotional payback. This episode is a game changer. I hope there will be other episodes like that in season 4.

[spacedlexi]

hey! what's ur opinion on season 2? i saw you stream some of it but not for long bc i forgot my twitch password. fav characters? fav ending? any way you wished the story played out instead?

ok im gonna answer this in like a bulleted way to avoid rambling too much (THIS DID GET LONG THO...). i answered some of this during my stream so i'll be repeating myself a little bit from there. i’ll put it under a read more for everyones sanity

general opinion:

- i dont think its great (or even all that good) but ive played/watched much worse so *shrug* it couldve been worse. playing it with a group makes it way more bearable and even funny aha so i definitely had more fun streaming it than i did playing it on my own

- wouldve been better JUST by handling clem as the player character differently. it wouldnt have solved All of its problems but it wouldve been less...annoying.... clem needed to have more agency. she was always being ordered around by dumb adults who didnt seem to care for her safety. the adults needed to take more initiative and clem (as the PC) couldve just defied orders/interjected into convos/done her own thing. this wouldve 1) given the player more agency 2) wouldve been a contrast to everyone relying on lee in s1 (couldve had everyone telling clem to stay out of the way since shes just a kid) and 3) made the adults of the group seem less...useless...since they instead are just constantly relying on an 11 year old to do everything. like do more stuff like the "clem locked in a shed and escapes into the house to steal supplies to patch herself up" thing. even tho it was ridiculous that they locked her in a shed it still gave her agency and was an opportunity to rebel and prove her resiliency/smarts/ability against the poor decisions made by the adults around her who think they know whats best

fave characters:

-none lol

- ok im joking but like only half joking. i liked sarita!! if i had to pick a non-clem character (and thats what youre asking) itd be sarita. she had a strong will/didnt take shit and was also very sweet (and cute i think shes cute hehe especially with her little nose stud)

- my dislike for most of the cast really derives from weak writing and ties back into all these adults constantly relying on an 11 year old to do everything for them

- alvin was ok and i warmed up to rebecca after she stopped being mean to clem for no reason. luke was....Fine after the first episode or 2 but gets way too much credit from people for some reason. sarah was also fine she mainly suffered from weak writing. jane was ok at first but she progressively pissed me off...

- ttg has a problem with giving determinate characters really...Any development at all which is a shame but is unfortunately a byproduct of having a budget and a deadline. if you dont know if a character will be around or not, its not wise to spend time/resources on them when it can go towards characters you know Will be around. they handle this better in s4 by saving determinate routes for the final ep. a bit underwhelming to save it for the end but at least they used it to focus on determinant endings instead in s4. its hard so i try to cut game studios a little slack with that stuff. but unfortunately it made nick and sarah pretty underwhelming characters who lacked really any arc or relevancy at all...

favorite ending:

- wellington ending i GUESS??? ive chosen all of them at least once (except for clem alone ending just because i dont want her to have to be on her own with a newborn baby at 11 years old). honestly the choice at the end of s2 is a little difficult for me to make but usually comes down to the fact that jane risked ajs life to prove a point we already knew. which was that kenny was a man on the edge holding on by the universes thinnest thread. i cant trust jane to put clem first and by her flashback scene in s3 i was right not to trust her lol. i do love that aj tattoo clem gets from the jane route tho...ive literally chosen that ending Just for the tattoo before lol

- also the wellington ending keeps clem from hugging or kissing gabe SHDSHHSJ so that really seals the deal for me lmaooooooo youre too good for him bby

play out differently?:

- honestly not..really?? but thats mainly because i dont think or care enough about s2 to think up whole other plotlines...

- someone in the stream chat mentioned that s2 went through rewrites after some scripts/episodes got leaked or something which ALWAYS IS A BAD DECISION and makes me so so disappointed and frustrated. it always negatively impacts a story to put it through rewrites just to counter "spoilers". so i definitely think s2 suffered from that decision. the question is just how much did they rewrite? was s2 always weak or did it mainly suffer due to unnecessary rewrites? what a shame.

- the kenny/luke showdown wouldve had more of a natural buildup than the kenny/jane showdown did. and the arvo stuff was soooooo duuuumbbb and annoying. someone in chat made the point that it wouldve been more interesting if the group that attacks them was the 400 days crew looking for revenge from howes and i definitely agree!! wouldve given that group more relevancy instead of just seeing them as like little easter eggs....

- sarah also had a lot of wasted potential. im assuming they were trying to make some "shes how clem would be if lee never taught her to defend herself" point but i dont agree with it?? because clem was already protecting herself in her treehouse with that hammer before lee even found her. they just didnt know how to handle a character with anxiety very well and it shows. at least they do a better job with brody in s4 (i love brody 💕). they also try to pull another weird character foil "this is how clem would be if she was brainwashed" with minnie in s4 but i dont agree with that one either (clem would be the sophie who dies fighting in that scenario lets be honest with ourselves clem could never be brainwashed shes too smart and strong willed "you gave up minerva. i never will")(they needed to stop with the character foils because they even tried to pull it with FUCKING C A R VE R “we’re not so different” sir im 11)

OK I THINK thats all i have to say. im sure i made other points throughout the stream but yeah these are the ones that stand out to me enough to talk about here

[morwensteelsheen]

If Faramir went to Rivendell, how would the whole ttt/rohan plot be different?

A good question that I have spent an unreasonable time thinking about! My first LOTR fic was going to be an attempt to answer this, but then I got so wrapped up in not having the answers that I sidelined it and wrote WC instead. So I think instead of giving you one definitive answer I’ll give you a couple scenarios I think are plausible? If that’s not too much of a cop out lmao? Apologies in advance for the inevitable spelling errors, I did this on my phone and my dyslexia is off the charts today.

I think it’s basically unavoidable that he goes via Rohan first, geographically he’s sort of left without an option there. When he’s there, we get into this issue of whether and how he and Éowyn interact. Worth noting, I think, that the Unfinished Tales has Éomer living in Aldburg by the War, but Éomer does seem to imply he’s around for Boromir passing through. Is this because he knows and already is a fan of Boromir? Maybe! Or maybe Éomer goes to Aldburg after.

But I digress. We have to ask the question of whether Faramir falls in love with Éowyn because he was always going to fall in love with Éowyn, or if it’s because the things he’s gone through immediately preceding it primed him for it. I — perhaps quite cheaply — come down on the side of Faramir always having it bad for her on first sight. And contextually I think that comes from his, rather sweet, enunciation of the way his regard/love changes for her. He says that at first he pities her, and then he gets to know her and he doesn’t pity her anymore, he respects and admires her. That’s an interesting dynamic to bring into play in basically every AU, because you get this double barrel characterisation of his attitude to her changing, and his own character maturing/sharp edges softening.

I think he off the bat he sees that she’s beautiful, and immediately is drawn to her for that. Shallow? Maybe! But, to badly paraphrase my ol fav Victor Hugo quote — love always begins with a glance.

I imagine he stays for a short while, maybe a week, two at most. At this point I think that Éowyn’s basically viewing him as an official guest that she has to entertain, and I think Faramir is, in his own, slightly stilted, slightly wanky way, putting the moves on her. This can go, imo, one of two ways. She can either be receptive to it (which is a nice thought!) or she can be aware of it but mostly ignore it because, really, she’s got lots of shit on her plate.

Either way, he leaves Edoras at some point. The big question is where does his go from there?

One thing I toy around with is that, given his pre-existing relationship to Gandalf, maybe he’s willing to trust the Istari a bit more and goes straight for Isengard? Which, and I think I did the math on this once a few months ago, would have him arriving at Isengard around the time Gandalf’s getting his shit kicked in by Saruman lol. I think this could be a really compelling plot point, but I’ll be very honest with you, I 100% don’t have the imagination or writing skills to figure out how it proceeds from there, so I’m not going to try to.

If he goes the normal Boromir route, he still loses his horse at Tharbad and walks (lmao jesus???) to Rivendell. When he gets there, I think he’s immediately going to have everything he knows put to the test in quite jarring ways. First off, he’s going to be infinitely more deferential to Elrond, Aragorn &c when they’re trashing Gondor. He’ll push back a bit, no doubt on that, but he’s going to be starstruck by Aragorn in a way that Boromir just wasn’t.

No real difference I imagine between Rivendell and Lothlórien, except that he’d definitely be laser focused on palling about with Aragorn, and he’d probably spend more of his time being friendly with Frodo than with Merry and Pippin tbh (not in a douchey way, I just think he and Frodo vibe a little better. Though I bet he and Merry had some interesting chats about pipe weed history).

The underlying question here is what sort of relationship does he have to the ring? I don’t buy this idea that he’s not tempted by it, I just think that what the ring offers him is a bit shit. We don’t know what the ring tempts him with, he’s not clear on that in TTT. I can’t really see the ring being like ‘oh I’ll give you a king to follow’ because that is some intensely nerdy shit, but is somehow the one thing I could see Faramir actually being tempted by. Regardless of what it offers him in this AU, he resists it on the basis that he’s got this mythical king he’s been desperate for, and he’s not gonna risk that for anything.

Lothlórien comes next, and oh my god when I tell you this is the part I genuinely have no answer for. I stopped writing my first fic at Lothlórien because I couldn’t cope. Tbh it probably lowkey fries Faramir’s brain, and for so many reasons. The whole godmoding Númenórean stuff he’s got going on probably interests Galadriel a bit, and so that whole conversation is going to be wildly different than it was for Boromir. But what does she say to Faramir? I have no idea. I really don’t. There’s also probably a million and one things also going on psychologically for him at that point, which makes dealing with this bit difficult. Really difficult. So I’m gonna, uh, conveniently smash cut away.

Parth Galen! Again, another two potential splits here. The first, (from here on out I’ll refer to as Plot A) which I find rather endearing, is that he goes off with Frodo and Sam when Frodo makes the decision to split. I don’t know that I believe he’d do it, but it proves for a very delightful interpretation of his character.

Plot B is that when the Orcs show up, Faramir survives not by virtue of his being a ~ better warrior ~ or whatever than Boromir, but by the terrain surrounding Parth Galen being something he’s far more in the habit of dealing with, and by virtue of his having a bow at his disposal. I know there’s room for an interpretation of Faramir as not primarily an archer, but narratively I think that’s less interesting. So he’s an archer. He’s an archer and also his priority is on Aragorn first and foremost, so Merry and Pip still get taken, and Frodo and Sam use the hubbub to GTFO, which is actually slightly more in line with the movie’s chronology, funnily enough. The three hunters become four, and then go on Merry & Pippin’s trails.

In Plot A, they’re hauling ass across the Emyn Muil, bolstered in some ways by Faramir’s experience as a Ranger. The problem is the issue of getting into Mordor and whether or not they pick up Gollum. I think, in a way that frustrates me immensely, they do end up taking Gollum, not because they need a guide, but because Gollum fulfils this deep psychological need for Frodo, and I think he would have argued for keeping Gollum regardless. Faramir is going to be fucked off about this, but will ultimately, I think, be deferential to the ringbearer.

So they go across the Dead Marshes, but they do NOT attempt the Black Gate first because Faramir’s not a fool. Do they go to Henneth Annûn? I say yes, but with the caveat that in all likelihood Boromir is gonna be there, which is gonna complicate stuff tremendously.

Over to Plot B!

The four hunters go to the Mark! They meet Éomer! Hey! Éomer recognises Faramir! (And he’s probably a little fucked off that he lost his horse lol). But whatever, he knows this guy, so he’s probably gonna be like, uhhh, everything you saw before in Edoras is much worse now. Also my cousin's dead and everything is bad. Here’s some horses, sorry for maybe accidentally killing your pals, see ya! And at this point I think Faramir’s probably having a, hmmm, g e n t l e  p s y c h i c  c r i s i s, because if he’s still very 👅 for Éowyn (which he is, sorry, he has to be) then he’s going to want to go there ASAP. Obviously though that’s not gonna happen, so: Merry and Pip chasing, Gandalf finding, Edoras arriving.

Which means Éowyn. If, at this point, she and Faramir already have something of an arrangement going on (nudge nudge) then she’s really not gonna give a shit about Aragorn. You know how in TTT it’s not even clear that she actually sees Legolas and Gimli? 100% that vibe with Aragorn too. Théoden’s gonna get his house in order, they’re going to head to Helm’s Deep, and Éowyn’s gonna get named head of house. (Faramir, if he starts off just thinking she’s beautiful, is going to have quite the paradigm shift here, because he’s going to have to start reckoning with her as not just a beautiful woman, but as a very, very intense person. This is how his love for her starts to mature.)

Sometimes I dream about him being like, ‘hey! I have some first hand experience of ruling a kingdom, how about I stay and…….. lend you a hand……..’ to Éowyn while she’s keeping watch on Edoras. This is wildly unlikely, but a delightful thought nonetheless. In the more likely case, which is that he goes to the Hornburg, she’s going to start feeling some strain about this whole war shebang, and it’s going to lead to some difficult conversations. Chief among them is that Faramir, as second son, actually has basically nothing to give her, which is not exactly a great position to be in when you’re in love with the niece of a king. I’m of the opinion that Éowyn’s not fussed by that stuff (she agrees to marry him when he’s prepping to give up a shit ton of power anyways), so she’s probably like, 'no, fuck you, we’re getting married.' And then he leaves, and it starts to emotionally unsettle her more and more.

If they don’t already have a thing, then it either begins at this point OR he gets overshadowed by Aragorn. In either case, off to Helm’s Deep he goes.

Helm’s Deep happens, I think Faramir ends up extraordinarily impressed by how the Rohirrim handle the Dunlenders afterwards, which also begins to soften his harsh opinion of them more generally.

They go to Isengard, Pippin looks in the Palantír, and away Pippin and Gandalf go. Both Gandalf and Faramir here would recognise that it would be batshit insane for Faramir to go back to MT now, because Denethor would read him like a picture book and he’d have to admit to the entire mission of the Fellowship.

Over in Plot A, I think we’re going to have some real emotional complexity vis a vis Faramir showing up at Henneth Annûn with two hobbits, a ring, and Boromir in control there. God, it would just be a disaster. My incredibly generous interpretation of this is that Faramir keeps the plan vague enough that Boromir lets them pass unhindered. My less generous interpretation is… yeah I don’t wanna do it tbh. It’s not pretty. It's also, to be clear: not an indictment of Boromir as a character. His response is entirely rational for someone expected to lead a kingdom and for someone put up against the unbelievable power of the One Ring. The reason Faramir continuously gets to pass largely untempted by the ring is because he's a guy with no actual responsibilities once you take the Rangers away. His understanding of his duty to Gondor is almost entirely conceptual in nature. He can think and talk about defending Gondor as it once was because there are several people above him in the hierarchy defending Gondor for what it is. This is also not an indictment of Faramir. He and Boromir just have wildly different realities to contend with.

They are going to go through Cirith Ungol even though Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass both speak Sindarin and don’t cotton on to what its name implies lol. This whole scene is much shorter because Faramir’s significantly more cautious, so there is no Orc capture and Sam doesn't take the Ring. This is where things get a bit complex, and where I don’t think I have the imagination to say much more. Sorry!

Back in Plot B, the lads catch up with Éowyn as they prep to go down the Paths of the Dead. If she and Faramir are a thing, this is where the real emotional distress kicks in for her. All of the men in her life have, at one point or another, functionally abandoned her, and here’s Faramir, love of her life, about to do the exact same thing. Faramir inevitably goes with the Grey Company even though she begs him not to. When she tries to convince them not to go down the Paths at all, he is in the fortunate enough position to throw up his hands and say 'not my call, actually. King’s in charge,' which lessens the emotional conflict there somewhat.

No part of me doubts that Éowyn wouldn’t then immediately go over his head to Aragorn. She would, she absolutely does not give a fuck. And she’s going to get knocked back re: joining them in exactly the same way as in the book, because Aragorn’s take here isn’t actually dependent on her personally, it’s dependent on the duty she’s been charged with, which is taking care of her people. (Also going to be an interesting narrative parallel to a later conversation between Faramir and Aragorn after the Pelennor, which I’ll explain in more detail later.)

Faramir will, perhaps somewhat less dismissively, say this to her. He learns much more obviously the way to talk to her on her own terms, and he’s not gonna fall into the trap of letting her be like ‘you just want me to wait and die after all the men are dead.’ He’s going to probably give her some line about her being the last organised line of defence, and he might even invoke Haleth! It’s not going to work, because Éowyn’s very aware of the apocalyptic nature of all of this, but it’s not going to cause such abject hatred and fury as it otherwise would.

If she and Faramir are not a thing, her emotional distress is as it is in the book, except now Faramir’s trying not to pout in the background. He might even step in to try and soften the blow.

Regardless, she ends up as Dernhelm, she rides to the Pelennor.

Boromir is the one responsible for the Osgiliath retreat, and because it’s heavily implied that Faramir only keeps his seat because he’s got this dumbass Númenor garbage going on ('master of man and beast' — king Beregond), Boromir’s going to get killed by the Witch king here.

This is going to send shockwaves through not just Denethor, but Minas Tirith more generally, because Boromir is fucking adored. Denethor’s going to go high holy crackers much quicker, mostly because Gandalf is a shit stirrer and is going to waste no time at all in announcing that Aragorn, The Rightful King, is on his way, and Denethor will — correctly — surmise that Faramir has chosen Aragorn over returning with whatever Isildur’s Bane is to Gondor. This is the end for Denethor.

Éowyn rides from Dunharrow, slays the Witch king. Faramir and Aragorn show up with the Army of Dead, Faramir does not end up injured, but does end up as the Steward (obviously) and (obviously) aware that Éowyn is in the HOH. And also that everybody else he loves is dead. Yeehaw.

Here’s where I think things get really interesting. I think, counter to the way this is portrayed a lot of the time, Faramir doesn’t go to the Black Gate at all. I think he stays in Minas Tirith, not just to organise the wider range defences (esp the Rohirrim dealing w the Druadan) but in this very grim preparation to lead the retreat from Minas Tirith if/when Frodo & Sam fail. I think he's kind of fine with this for two reasons. The first is that him being conscious to process the death of his father, and it coming hours after the death of his brother means that he's going to have a personal-political crisis, and he's going to have to take the defence of Gondor more seriously than he did before. Second, Aragorn's going to tell him to fucking stay put, and he's going to be fine with it because it means he's going to get to spend the last few days of his life with Éowyn.

He and Éowyn reunite in the HOH, there’s still a lot of deeply emotional stuff going on, but, at least now Faramir’s conscience is clear re: marrying her because, well, he’s the Steward now. Also their reunion is going to take on greater significance because she’ll have killed the thing that killed his brother. So, that’s a lot.

If they are not a thing before the Pelennor, she's still going to drag his ass over to the HOH so she can bitch about being stuck there. But this time he's not a fellow hospital-prisoner, he's having to actually do things, and he's going to use that to his advantage in terms of keeping her from doing stupid shit. I think he's going to try to involve her in some of the strategic questions re: the retreat if the Morannon feint fails. I think he's going to make a point of talking to her to get her help on dealing with the Rohir forces that are in and around the City. I think that's going to go a huge way to helping to ease her misery, and it's going to be such a significant vote of trust in her (even after she's done the unthinkable and deserted her people) that she's going to fall in love with him here, as per. And the contrast between him and Aragorn is going to be all the stronger for it.

So yes. Those are just some of the possibilities I think! Sorry for the word dump!!

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

Between the 4 games you said you played in your bio, which one is your favorite?

I have a killer headache rn and my brain's not working and literally my first thought was well I haven't played sports in years now what the fuck are they talking about I'm so sorry my brain is being stupid

How can I choose! They're all so good in their own way! Even though I only started playing dating sims during these three months of lockdown I played a lot, most of them only lasted a couple of days and these four are the ones I got attached to

I played loved island (specifically season 2) first! And like I still adore how much the relationship with the other characters and the storyline change depending on if you make your MC be an ass or not? Like the other characters go through character development based on your choices? that's amazing! Also after playing the game I had to put down my phone and walk away because Bobby did some lasting damage and now my practically nonexistent irl standards are greatly raised

Obey me was the second game I got attached to (after playing other otome games) and I downloaded it expecting to delete it after a few days, like I did the others, and didn't even bother reading the description. This was also the first game I got where they used they/them pronouns and I just??????? It made me so fucking happy? I've been unsure of my gender & pronouns for more than an year now (& I still am tbh!) but this silly little dating sim using they/they pronouns felt so good? It was an unexpected surprise and I adored it! I also like that none of the brothers are instantly smitten with MC, and it takes 19 lessons to get even one main storyline kiss, I like that they focus on the found family aspect and I adore how the chats sound like real people texting?

I'd been avoiding downloading the arcana for about a year now and I regret it so much! The graphics! The CGs! The soundtrack! The characters! The storyline! Julian Devorak! All so good! I'm so in love I can't even express it!? I got so engrossed in the story I finished Julian's whole route in a couple of days! I literally could not put my phone down I needed to know what happened next!

I downloaded fictif cause it was from Nyx Hydra too and I'm only really attached to Last Legacy (probably cause it gives me The Arcana vibes) and though it's only got a little updated I absolutely adore it? It's MC is probably the most enjoyable/relatable because they're a snarky little shit? And with the other three games even if it took some time to figure out a fav I did and I stuck with them till the very end but I can't do that with Last Legacy? All the LIs are so goddamned stupid and I love them all? I actually poly ship all the LIs and MC cause I can't bring myself to pick one (Sage probably holds the slightest bit of my favour over the others tho simply because he can purr)

Ik you only asked a simple question and I ended up ranting I'm so sorry but yeah I guess I can't pick...

[yourdarlingfaux]

lol more asks cuz why not

(u dont have to answer if u dont wanna but idk u did say multiple are okay)

Is there a ship you no longer ship and why?

rant about any ship you love but feel like you don't talk about enough

(ok this aren't listed question) is there any pairing you think is better as a friendship?

if you could rate all your hetalia ships from 1- how ever many you have( 1 being your favourite) what would that list look like?

if you could go to the wedding of one of your ships- which ship would it be? and why

which ship is the most chaotic?

what would your ships be like as parents?(you can do one ship if you want or mulitiple)

anddddddddddddd

give a description of your ship/ships in a nutshell, so like what is their dynamic basically like

oof sorry about so many askssss

l do be curious tho

Dude omg please don't be sorry look you are SPOILING ME with these thank you very much I crave attention lmao

⚜ Is there a ship I no longer ship? Why?

Hm.... there’s none that I can think of! So if I ever dropped shipping something it’s probably because I forgot! :p

I would be putting FrUK/USUK here but I was never really avid about them to be no longer shipped and I still like them on occasion

⚜ Rant about any ship I love but feel like you don't talk about enough

Spaus!!!!!! Spain and Austria!!!! I talk about Fraus but Spaus??? Nationverse Spaus??? They had the same thing going except.. a very different energy. These are two men who married while still trying to find where they fit in the world, they fought wars against each other, they were not perfect in any way, but they were husbands, and they always respected each other as such. Human AUs, same thing, they weren’t perfect, they had to grow so much to get to where they are, and often times they'd go DAYS without speaking to each other, but they'd still sit down and chat with their music, Spain on the guitar and Austria on the piano, sometimes they wouldn't play long, but just a few notes and strums exchanged served as a reminder that when they're ready to talk again, they're both ready for each other

Omg wait brain juice FLOWING Hungary x Belgium.... it’s always been hard for me to like them bc of the ship name (for some reason??) but I’ve been thinking about it and I just... wow...... Horse knight woman(? Woman debatable) and a woman who smells like chocolate :) mm.. that’s a vibe

Also I have very very VERY few Ideas on this but Belarus x Seychelles SLAPS in the most positive way 

⚜ Is there any pairing you think is better as a friendship?

Hmm, I’m gonna have to go with USA x N. Italy!! I love them together a lot but I have a hard time seeing them actually being in a romantic relationship :0

Also Estonia x Finland! I think they’re good friends! MAybe tried some intimate stuff in the past but Finland moved on from that and Estonia, in my hc, discovered he’s hetero/aro ace! Which in this case just means Ukraine pretty--

⚜ Rating all my favorite 2p/Hetalia ships from 1-5 because I have way too many ;,)

Hetalia ships in order of how much feeling I have for them when I look at the list

France x Austria

France x Russia

France x Turkey (gee haha I wonder who my favorite character is)

Cuba x Canada

Germany x England (more in human aus tho :) )

Honorable mention!: Romania x Prussia

Honorable mention #2!: Netherlands x Canada

Fav 2p ships in order of how often I think of/write for them

2p France x 2p Austria (wow! shocking!)

2p Sweden x 2p Finland

2p Germania x 2p Ancient Rome

2p Russia x 2p China

2p Germany x 2p Italy

Honorable mention #3!: 2p Egypt x 2p Turkey x 2p Greece [ETG trio]

⚜ If you could go to the wedding of one of your ships- which ship would it be? and why

2p Ancient Greece and 2p Ancient India! I’ve never written them ever and 2p Ancient India is barely a figment of a character but holy shit!!! They would have an amazing wedding!!! No expenses spared and absolutely extravagant!

Or 2pSufin! Cool wedding! Small and cozy because they both have sensory processing issues and it’d just be a very comfortable place to be! :)

⚜ Which ship/s are the most chaotic?

Romania x Prussia (if you can’t imagine why this would be.... I don’t know what to tell you)

Prussia x England (two tired overworked punks)

2p Greece x 2p Japan (half their dates prob consist of running from p!gs for being caught spray painting places that are queerphobic or xenophobic and the others are spent in libraries and museums)

2p Italy x 2p HRE (two kids who don’t know what emotional regulation is)

⚜ What would my ships be like as parents?

Ok! I’ll start out with the ones that I’ve already given children :)

2p Ancient Greece and 2p Ancient Rome (Famous AU): They..... they really tried... they tried so hard to work out their issues for the grandkids, but of course in the end that never works.. they raised the Italy brothers after an accident happened that left them as orphans. Eventually, Melita did leave Cassius, but she also left the grandkids to be looked after by him, and she continued to be absent until the kids were in there mid-20's. Cassius tried his best with what he had, but his best wasn't healthy and was too much self projection because he didn't want them to be hurt as he was, but it backfired, it backfired a lot.

2p Germania and 2p Ancient Rome (Famous AU): Cassius was there to help Berinhart help raise Roland the moment Roland was turned over to Ber's custody, like, that very night. Though Cassius wasn't always present because he was still "with Melita" at that time, but once he was responsible for his own grandchildren, that did start changing in "getting the kids together for socializing" so they could start seeing each other more. Berinhart is a good parent, well rounded and knows how to motivate positively for even the most mundane things

2p Sweden and 2p Finland (most AUs): They adopted two kids: Jack (2pSealand) and Kurt (2pLadonia). Tobbe’s not the best with getting along with children but he’ll be damned if he’s not going to try his best to be with Vaito to raise them with him. Tobbe makes the meals and teaches them to cook and how to clean up after themselves and Vaito teaches them how to clean up bigger messes so Tobbe doesn't have to look at them. Kurt and Jack are in good hands :)

2p France and 2p Austria (however this is only in my Genshin Impact/2ptalia crossover au): François isn’t really interested in a kid of his own and didn't know Roland "had" a kid until he went back to Roland's hometown with him, it's not that Roland didn't talk about Nikki, it's that he never mentioned that he was actually the one raising them until Roland left to travel the world, which left Nikki with Berinhart. François is glad he doesn't have a complete parental role with Nikki but he will fight tooth and nail if harm ever falls on them. And Roland loved taking care of Nikki because they're a founding just as he is but he just didn't feel like he was prepared or good enough to be a good parent for them.

⚜ A description of my ship/s in a nutshell / My ship dynamics in a nutshell

I think I have a wide range of ship dynamics ranging from:

Total of 1 braincell combined and they share it like the three fates in Disney's Hercules (Prussia x America namely)

Socially stunted smol and socially stunted tol

Classy gossip partners apparently

Homophobic bigot because of Unresolved Catholic Trauma and woman who thinks that All woman are bisexual (too niche? It's 2pRome x 2pAncient Greece in human AUs)

I have too many tbh, I don't prefer one type of ship over another so I really can't put all of them here-

Person who's experienced way too much trauma at a young age x person who had a lot of different trauma at a young age and are doing their best to help each other recover (2p France x 2p Austria)

[softforcal]

hiii

hello! these types of questions are great don’t worry! everyones different but yeah, let me tell you about my writing process :) (this is a long ass writing rant and hopefully it’s helpful)

so for headcanons tbh, i just write them. like. i sit down and write it all in one go and tbh not much thought goes into them there isnt really a plot it’s just notes practically so headcanons for me are not difficult at all. fics/oneshots are where things actually heat up.

so for my fics i do note form outlines. what this means is i have all the major things that have to happen already lined out. i put it on a word doc on half my screen and the fic on the other and there’s no plan on how to get to each note point but i know i have to get there somehow, but having basic goals makes it easier for me.

when it comes to fics there’s usually a brainstorming process. i have two wonderful amazing loves of my absolute life @hereforlukescruff and @glitterprincelu and usually it will start with me saying an idea and we all just kind of start shooting ideas and bouncing off of each other. this process can take hours. like. i remember when i came up with gang luke (penumbra) i was in class and we ended up chatting about it for 3 hours and coming up with shit. when the main brainstorm is done i plot it all out. i have a few ocd tendencies, one of which is linear stuff means a lot to me. like i can’t start a fic at the end. i need to start at the start. so i’ll plan as much as i can but sometimes i stop at the middle and i re-evaluate once i get there and have a better sense as to where the story is going.

for me, characters are huge. like. i have the plot points but characters drive everything else. so i’ll often have a sit down and reevaluate what has happened to them and how they’re feeling and see if it’s all making sense for them, but, because i brainstorm a lot, usually i don’t end up changing much. strong characters are key my dudes. 

my biggest motivator to get to the end of the story is well, the characters. i love them so much and writing for them feels so comforting to me. LOVE YOUR CHARACTERS. but also. something ya’ll gotta understand about me is that i’ve been writing fan fiction for 8 years. i’ve probably spent an average of 2 hours a day (and that’s seriously low balling it) so thats 2x365=730x8=5840 hours that i’ve written and that’s probably too low to be accurate. so i’m a writer. i type fast as fuck and i’ve been doing this a while so writing comes very easy to me, ideas are constantly flowing. this is legit what im pursuing as a job so don’t be discouraged if you can’t write 10k in a day like I do because... well, i’ve had a fuck ton of practice. writing 10k in a day is pretty common for me i’d say, once i sit down with a oneshot i don’t want to leave until it’s done.

but. i also again, have a bit of an ocd thing and when it’s paired with anxiety, it makes it hard for me to stop. i need to get things done. to check stuff off my list. or i get bored. if i leave a fic for even a day or two, it’s likely i’m not gonna finish it. so for me, and i know this, its important to wait until i have a sufficient amount of time to bust something out and a plan makes it so easy because i don’t have to stop and ask myself “okay now what”

what more can i say about writing.... uh... characters. so important. dialogue. key. 

like i’ll start a fic with a general idea about an OC but as the fic continues they grow and i really enjoy watching them grow. i think a good rule of thumb if you’re having troubles with this is immerse the story view point in the most solid character you have (i’ll give an example of this in a moment) and use their perspective and musings on a different character, like what they notice, to promote growth.

example of what i mean when i say this. i recently wrote prince cal and from the start, he was my strong character. Ostara was new, she’s ashton’s sister, she’s back for the first time in a while. the very first paragraph establishes that calum is taken aback by how much she’s changed. there’s still some similarities to how she was growing up and i weave that comfort of the known throughout the story (with things like chicken fights in the pool or musing about how they used to play hide and seek as kids) but from the start, Calum is knocked off his feet by how beautiful she’s gotten and that’s a very obvious symbol of change, not just outside but in. so as the fic continues calum notices things about ostara. for example. the second time i wrote she was wearing a print of some sort, calum and i both mutually realized, ‘huh. she likes prints i guess.’ because ostara is ostara, i dont control her, in my brain she’s her own person, she’s dictating whats happening and baby just likes prints. and calum notices which says something about him, but its also little details like that that bring these characters to life. 

i mean. i don’t know how other people write characters. my characters are always alive to me. they have their own voice and knowing their reaction to things is second nature to me. but this can be attributed to the fact that i legit wrote fan fiction about actual characters (MCU, TVD, Teen Wolf, etc...) for 6 years and being able to step into those characters and do dialogue that seemed legit was the most important thing for me. so i have a FUCK TON of experience on characters. so once again, if its hard for you to step into your characters thats okay. maybe do those things where you have a fill in the blank sheet on whats their fav food, their fav colour, do they like summer or winter? etc....

i think there isnt one way to write. i think i’m blessed that i’ve ALWAYS been a writer. since i was like 4. you know in elementary when they made you write and they’d give you those little booklets and shit? other kids had like one or two at most but this whore was always on book number 6 or 7 like, im a writer. it’s what i am. it always has been what i am. 

im also a multitasker. so most of my writing is done while watching shows. which means its a double whammy for me. like. im learning about characters and plot WHILE writing so... as you can see, i’m hard core as fuck about this shit. 

my point is. my process is a process that i think is pretty particular to me. most people i know cant watch tv and write at the same time. most people don’t sit down and bust out 10k in one sitting. and thats fine. if you enjoy writing then do it. focus on what you can be doing better, this isnt a competition. at the end of the day, the only person you should be trying to be better than is the person you were yesterday, or last week, you know?

find people who are creatively inclined because holy shit it makes a huge difference. bouncing ideas off of supportive people is really important. without my friends, Birdie in Penumbra might be named Cherry, the Gang AU wouldn’t have an ending all planned out and ready to be written, and i would have missed out on so many hours of face time calls and back and fourth messages with two of the most important people in my life right now. 

so lets break down what the fuck i’m even saying

-find supportive people (but it’s important you support them as well. if they’re gonna let you throw ideas at them and help you out and pump you up, reciprocate hoe)

-focus on yourself 

-find what you’re good at. plots? characters? dialogue?

-find ways to strengthen the things you’re not so good at (character fill in sheets, plot planning, etc...)

-find what, at the end of the day, really works for you

-don’t put pressure on yourself. writing is for fun. it should be fun. and if it is fun, i think motivation will come easy? but i could be wrong, once again, i have an addictive personality and writing is a fix i need every day or i go insane. 

yeah. if ya’ll have any more writing questions let me know. i love answering these because i think it’s so interesting to really look at the process :) 

[1112lw]

Every question!!

SDFFSDFG DAM OK SIS

LONG POST AHEAD IF U LITERALLY WANNA KNOW ME PERSONALLY JUST READ THIS LMFAO

1: Name: Arche/Jupiter, my close friends know my real name so!

2: Age: High school has just been done so try to guess

3: Fears: Heights, oral presentations, the dark

4: 3 things I love: Drawing, men- concept art n stuff like that

5: 4 turns on: Oh here we go- uhh thighs, messy hair? when they give u The Look or when they. say things i will not talk about here HHGBDF n uhhh Arms 👀👀

6: 4 turns off: weird macho attitude, overly confident bullshit, being selfish and fuckboys in general

7: My best friend: not sure what this means but my bff is named Daphnée n i love her and ive known her my whole life so 

8: Sexual orientation: homosexuale

9: My best first date: :))))))) as if

10: How tall am I: sigh. I’m 5″4

11: What do I miss: sometimes i miss the feeling loved ig

12: What time were I born: 12:19

13: Favourite color: pink!

14: Do I have a crush

15: Favourite quote: My senior quote!! “if what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, I’m telling you I’m immortal”

16: Favourite place: well? my room ig? I like my yard too

17: Favourite food: ugh ramen,,,korean dishes are TASTE as fuck but i also like classic ass spaghetti so like lol

18: Do I use sarcasm: does it look like i dont

19: What am I listening to right now: dr.phil LMFAO

20: First thing I notice in new person: Hair and eyes!! also how they laugh

21: Shoe size: Like. a 7-8 in women’s 6 in men’s 

22: Eye color: Hazel/Golden yes bitch let me be special

23: Hair color: it’s either dark brown or golden brown idk

24: Favourite style of clothing: bruv its either kpoppie fuckboy or uwu skirts pastels

25: Ever done a prank call?: no i have anxiety

26: Meaning behind my URL:

27: Favourite movie: rise of the guardians and HTTYD

28: Favourite song: Comeback Home (BTS cover)

29: Favourite band: looks in the camera i dont know nan molla huh

30: How I feel right now: I’m fine im hungry

31: Someone I love: shoutout to my babeys in my server ily

32: My current relationship status: Single(tm)

33: My relationship with my parents: theyre fine ig just a bit tired

34: Favourite holiday:

35: Tattoos and piercing I have: Ear piercings? that’s it

36: Tattoos and piercings I want:

37: The reason I joined Tumblr:

38: Do I and my last ex hate each other? I sure hope not?

39: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts? A bit ig?

40: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted? Literally no

41: When did I last hold hands? Like last Friday

42: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning? 20 minutes

43: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days? no i havent shaved in like months

44: Where am I right now? in my room, in quebec, canada

45: If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me? bitch i sure hope my friends would

46: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level? fuck my ears 

47: Do I live with my Mom and Dad? yeah

48: Am I excited for anything? yeah? yeah

49: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to? ig? always

50: How often do I wear a fake smile? just at work tbh

51: When was the last time I hugged someone? not long ago i cant tell but my friends r cuddle monsters so 

52: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me? i havent kissed anyone so 

53: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not? lemme think uhhh no not rlly im not dumb 

54: What is something I disliked about today? i woke up n i thought i had school lol

55: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? oh john cock i want to be ur best friend

56: What do I think about most? i daydream 24/7

57: What’s my strangest talent? uhhh i can put my thumb behind my hand?

58: Do I have any strange phobias? trypophobia, if thats “weird”

59: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? depends on what the video is, mostly behind

60: What was the last lie I told? idk answering to my deadname

61: Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? online

62: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens? I slightly believe in ghosts? also aliens GOTTA exist so 

63: Do I believe in magic? i think!

64: Do I believe in luck? yeah

65: What’s the weather like right now? very pretty i filmed a video outside!!

66: What was the last book I’ve read? L’Étranger d’Albert Camus in french class

67: Do I like the smell of gasoline? yes my dad’s a mechanic

68: Do I have any nicknames? a lot a lot

69: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had? bitch @ my birth #neverforget 

70: Do I spend money or save it? i have 40$ in my name right now

71: Can I touch my nose with a tounge? no

72: Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me? yes highlighter

73: Favourite animal? cats or otters

74: What was I doing last night at 12 AM? FBISDFD NO WE DONT TALK ABOUT IT

75: What do I think is Satan’s last name idk he can have any last name he wants!!!

76: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it? everytime i start hearing “waiting for you anpanman” or “i just wanna go home” 👀👀

77: How can you win my heart? aaahh. be a twink. b fashionable. b funny. cheesy. pls romance me like a npc in the sims 2

78: What would I want to be written on my tombstone? s(he) died smh

79: What is my favorite word? cunt is SUCH a satisfying word

80: My top 5 blogs on tumblr? oh great uh honestly cant be fucked 

81: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say? please have brain. PLEASE

82: Do I have any relatives in jail? i sure hope the fuck not?

83: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power? either invisibility or mind reading

84: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on? ahaaa “what are your intrusive thoughts”

85: What is my current desktop picture? my lesbian sims getting married LMFAO

86: Had sex? no

87: Bought condoms? no

88: Gotten pregnant? NO

89: Failed a class? i think yeah maths last year

90: Kissed a boy? :(((

91: Kissed a girl? no

92: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain? no

93: Had job? I have a job rn so 

94: Left the house without my wallet? yeah when i go to school

95: Bullied someone on the internet? define bullying?

96: Had sex in public? virgin squad

97: Played on a sports team? yeah

98: Smoked weed? no ew

99: Did drugs? no ew

100: Smoked cigarettes? NO EW

101: Drank alcohol? yep 

102: Am I a vegetarian/vegan? no i’d die

103: Been overweight? i’m twig

104: Been underweight? i think i was underweight when i was young? i was very Small

105: Been to a wedding? yes very long boring

106: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight? bruh. everyday

107: Watched TV for 5 hours straight? probably?

108: Been outside my home country? ONCE

109: Gotten my heart broken? TWICE !

110: Been to a professional sports game? yesss canadians game!!

111: Broken a bone? no

112: Cut myself? not technically 

113: Been to prom? SOON SOON SOON SOSOSNSBFSHDD

114: Been in airplane? once

115: Fly by helicopter? i am not rich bitch

116: What concerts have I been to? noneeee- WAIT NO MARIE MAI

117: Had a crush on someone of the same sex? not sex but for the purpose of pretending i have a penis yes plenty

118: Learned another language? yeah!! i learned english, i almost learned spanish and i’m trynna learn korean now

119: Wore make up? i try!! but i’m not super good

120: Lost my virginity before I was 18? not 18 yet but it’s goin that way

121: Had oral sex? as if 

122: Dyed my hair? i wishhh

123: Voted in a presidential election? I WISH THE ELECTIONS R ONE MONTH B4 MY BIRTHDAY 

124: Rode in an ambulance? nope

125: Had a surgery? yes at a week old 

126: Met someone famous? i think yes but i was super small

127: Stalked someone on a social network? define stalked?

128: Peed outside? yes

129: Been fishing? YES

130: Helped with charity? i think? we do volunteering so 

131: Been rejected by a crush? not directly

132: Broken a mirror? no 

133: What do I want for birthday? boyf......boy..boyff

134: How many kids do I want and what will be their names? oh man uhh maybe 2-3, i dont know their names yet honestly

135: Was I named after anyone? MY DAD NAMED ME AFTER A FUCKIN CLIENT HE MET. as for my actual name now I named myself after my fav video game character. lit

136: Do I like my handwriting? yeah!!

137: What was my favourite toy as a child? bitch hot wheels

138: Favourite Tv Show? hells kitchen,,,,judge judy,,,anythin like that

139: Where do I want to live when older? honestly i wish i could just live in japan or tokyo, or new york? but i will most likely end up in montreal 

140: Play any musical instrument? i used to play the clarinet last year!!

141: One of my scars, how did I get it? the one on my knee, i scratched my desk with my knee 

142: Favourite pizza toping? my dad makes AMAZING sea food pizzas,,,

143: Am I afraid of the dark? a lot

144: Am I afraid of heights? A LOT

145: Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad? idk prolly? im a bit of a goody two shoes or however u spell it

146: Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end: dont we all

147: What I’m really bad at: organizing my anxiety n shit i get overwhelmed

148: What my greatest achievments are: finishing high school 

149: The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me: honestly has to be that time someone dug up my vent post about being dysphoric to try to say i hated myself with some dumbass DySphorIa Is SelF HaTRed argument

150: What I’d do if I won in a lottery: pay my parents’ debt off, buy 284223$ of BT21 merch, pay my whole college/uni and transition

151: What do I like about myself: idk i like how i literally do not give a fuck anymore and ive learned to love myself instead of trynna care

152: My closest Tumblr friend: @peptobismol-official​ @ace-landofthesun​ @dorkalisious​ and ana but idk her @ anymore :((( ana pls

153: Something I fantasise about: we dont talk about that

154: Any thoughts on the paranormal?: lit. please stop crawling in my ceiling !

ok now that u know my whole biography. go doxx me ig. bye bye

[comicteaparty]

June 17th-June 23rd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 17th, 2019 to June 23rd, 2019.  The chat focused on Heart of Keol by keiiii.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Heart of Keol by keiiii~! (https://www.heartofkeol.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until June 23rd to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. Do you believe Danbi’s mom is at the Heart of Keol? If so, will she even want to see Danbi? If not, where else could she be? Overall, what consequences do you think Danbi will face in his attempts to reunite with his mother?

FeatheryJustice

1. My favourite scene so far from what I have read, is the toilet scene. Glowing toilet moss is the best part about it, who doesn't want to poop into the golden throne XD

AshAngelV

1. I'll have to come back to. 2. I'm bracing myself in case she's dead, or worse. Assuming death or worse doesn't happen, I think she'll be mad that he put himself in danger to find her, but also be glad to see him. I kinda don't think she's in the heart, and I'm sure his looking is going to cause all sorts of trouble for him and the rest of the party.

MJ Massey

I don't think she's dead, but I think something else happened to her that she isn't around anymore, like she went to another dimension or something

keii4ii

(hi everyone)

Tuyetnhi

hewwo~

oh ye, for no. 1...gotta rumminate lol. there's a ton of scenes I liked that I can't call out a favorite just yet lol

kayotics

1. I think I need to go back and reread since I feel like I read it all in a fever dream and went through it so quickly that it all meshed together, but I loved it a lot. I remember Ethan meeting the other earth person really well and loving her a lot, but I also remember liking the scenes with the train. There’s a lot of good scenes and they all pull different emotional chords.

Tuyetnhi

yee I agree

kayotics

2. If Danbi’s mom is there I’d gather that there’s something seriously wrong with the situation. But I think that Danbi’s mom will be at the heart. There’s a lot of themes about parents (lost parents, reuniting with parents, flawed parents) that I think she’ll be there but not what Danbi expects.

Delphina

1. Favorite scene: BIG KITTY HUGS https://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/025-14/

Kabocha

Aaaaah, that's definitely one of my favorite scenes... I honestly love the kitty hugs scene as well as the one that just finished: https://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/028-09/ When I saw this I needed to scream a little because it was just... like.. a "holy shit" moment. THAT EXPLAINS A LOT but now I am extremely worried for Ethan's emotional health :'D As far as Danbi's mom... I... dunno. I kind of had her written off as more of a motivation to start the trip, but not so much a part of the destination. I think she might be dead, or perhaps helping "preserve" Keol. ...So I don't think it's going to be a good meeting as far as "Wtf is going on" but a good meeting as far as seeing how people change when there's a long time.... especially if you think you know them. I'm seriously torn though -- I think whatever's happened to her, we're going to get a hint about it, and it's gonna come from Lu. And it's gonna compound the heartbreak that I see coming on the horizon...

Desnik

Oh I really love this one, but there's a page I remember that has this awesome use of 3-point perspective to insinuate a spiritual journey from one plane to another, let me see if I can find it again

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Who or what is the red hoodie kid, and what is their connection to Ethan? What might they have to do with Ethan’s latent Dokkabi powers? What is the significance of their facial mark give it matches the queen’s?

MJ Massey

Crack theory on red hoodie kid they're Ethan's dad from the past but that is probably not at all correct

RebelVampire

1) My favorite scene is the one where Ethan princess carries Lu away from all the octopus being cooked. I enjoy it was partly just hilarious seeing Ethan's overreaction, but also emotionally significant for Lu cause Lu got to see how much the giant doofus cares for him. 2) I think Danbi's mom was at the Heart but is there no longer. And i think Danbi will end up meeting someone who knew his mom instead of his mom directly. Frankly I assume she is dead and that Danbi is gonna have to go through the emotional trainwreck of accepting that the trip and everything he went through was for nothing except for answers. And while I'm sure Danbi will try to play it off as if just the closure is fine, I really don't think it will be. I think it'll be this bottled up thing that eventually explodes into an emotional mess that needs janitors to clean up.

RebelVampire

3) Lushaka. He is a giant cat. I really don't need to say anymore. Cats are best. 4) Assuming Ethan's dad was in Keol and an illegal Dokkabi as was implied, I think the red hoodie kid is a manifestation of the wyrm that the dad ate. And that it somehow passed to Ethan cause there is no illegal Dokkabi lore that says this isnt possible yet. So Ethan always had the powers, he just could never use them. As for the facial marking, I think it's just a mystical symbol of the wyrm's power. And the queen has it cause she was just a super good dokkabi all along or something.

kayotics

3. My fav is Lushaka, but it’s because he’s kind of emotionally constipated and is trying to not show he has feelings and I love characters like that.

4. I’m not much of a theorizer, but if I remember right, there was mention of a king that was supposed to appear? My initial thought on that information was that the kid was the upcoming king

MJ Massey

I think Ethan is my favorite. He's not what I would have expected as a main character for this kind of story, but that's what I really love. And he also has a good heart. He's someone I'd want to be friends with

keii4ii

Emotional constipation and emotional mess janitors... giving a whole new meaning to The Shining Outhouse (HoK's discord server name)

kayotics

Keiiii, I gotta tell you I love emotionally constipated characters

NeilKapit

Great choice for this week. I’ll re-read Keol from the beginning to discuss it properly.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. What do you think Adela will do given she just narrowly escaped from hunters? Additionally, who is the woman who saved Adela, and what could she possibly want from her? How will this tie into the rest of the story?

AshAngelV

5. I've really liked the illustrations of Ethan's soulscape (I guess is what you'd call it). They combine Keii's glowy magics with deep symbolism and heartbreaking moments (like when the stump burns). So many levels of epic.

keii4ii

Both of my favorite scenes have not been drawn yet due to Webcomic Time™. But one of them is actually coming up very soon! I'm drawing a set of scenes that lead directly up to it. Among the scenes that have been drawn/posted, I like this one... not so much as a favorite scene, but more like, "this is what HoK is about." https://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/013-04/ And the whole of chapter 25-26, especially Danbi's reaction here. https://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/026-06/ I guess the common thread there is the weaving of love and deep, bitter let-down.

(Just noticed "common thread" and "weaving" ... Pun not intended )

NeilKapit

As I’m reading through it it’s off to a great start. A lot of subtle character works that’s showing not telling, hinting at Ethan’s troubles.

snuffysam

5) Illustrations I like - any time magic gets used, specifically Dokkabi magic. The way the colors play off each other, the way the lighting affects the scene, and the amount of character that gets revealed through the form of the magic... it's all incredible.

surfKraken

Recently I've reread HoK after following it since it showed up on Tapas, and it's a rock solid favorite.

I guess what I like is it's originality #1

and #2 that it moves at its own pace and does its own thing.

I know that sounds generic but that's the best I can do after just getting home from a long day☁️

I don't have the energy to type all the feelings I have about the characters and presentation lol

They are as good as it gets for me in webcomics. there!

Tuyetnhi

5) ahhh I have to say Lu's tenticles lmao. I was caught off gaurd when he just woosh them out. I also like how they're rendered. but I do agree with snuffysam about the magic displayed and used in various instances.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. Why do you think the queen is hunting for Elyeo and locking them up? Is it for their own good, or is something sinister going on? What might this have to do with her destined mate who is supposedly a red-haired, male Elyeo?

RebelVampire

5) https://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/021-05/ The big second to last panel on this page. I love the lighting and the poses and the details like Ethan's body hair. everything comes together to create a really intimate moment that makes me squee. Especially the lighting though. Like even though Ethan and Lu had special moments between them before, this was the moment that made me tear up on the inside. 6) my crack theory is that its Danbi's mom disguised somehow. And she just magically sense Adela knew where her son is. my more serious theory is that the lady also wants to go to the heart and needs a guide. And ya know, clearly Adela knows the way. Which I think inevitably that's the path. Everyone gotta go to the heart for a "happy" reunion where there will be no drama and everyone will just have tea and cake. happy happy rainbows.

7) Ethan and Lu cause they are the OTP. Cause every part I'm like "how will you should you care about each other this time." and then I'm surprised and cry on the inside. 8) I think the queen has basically gotten impatient and lonely. And now that she knows her mate is a male Elyeo, shes keeping all Elyeo's to watch for his birth. So basically she has a little sinister breeding facility going on.

keii4ii

Been loving reading everyone's thoughts so far! @kayotics mentioned that there's a lot of themes about parents, and it's true! For many characters, a parent is the one person you can expect to love you even when the rest of the world is going bad/crazy. Messing with that expectation, uprooting it, seeing what grows from where it was uprooted... That's a big part of the story. @Delphina I'm so happy to see love for that scene! I think that was where I started feeling more clear-headed about the story. Like the story finally found itself. Maybe not at that exact point, but somewhere around there. @Kabocha Extreme worries for Ethan's emotional health is 100% justified at this point in the story. The characters are gonna run straight through a busy 8-lane highway, metaphorically, and only Lushaka is aware of it. He's hoping they can make it without getting hit by a car........

@Desnik Oooh did you mean this page? https://www.heartofkeol.com/eng/001-04a/ @MJ Massey I can TOTALLY see you and Ethan getting along splendidly!

Kabocha

With the current page that's gone up since chat started... I am screaming. I don't think lu laughing really portends anything good at this point. Aaaaaa But I'm looking forward to seeing the emotional traffic jam that occurs.

keii4ii

Lu worries about cars and trucks, then a freaking Boeing 777 comes crashing onto that highway

...maybe

Kabocha

... oh no. So what you're saying is we're going to end up with the emotional version of that plotline of ghost whisperer, where nobody involved in the emotional 777 realizes that's what happened, so they're trying to be all normal but nothing is right and they're all a wreck

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. Why do you think the Xi people are so mistreated? Given the dangers, is Ethan’s sympathy warranted, or do you believe he should be more careful? How might all this play a role as the group gets closer to the Heart of Keol?

AshAngelV

Ugh, missed most of the week cause brain dead from work. 9. Keii's use of reflections in eyes is on point and adds a subtle layer to deep scenes. 10. Probably a mix of racism and longstanding grudges. And I think Ethan should be more careful in general. Dude is way too nice/trusting for his own good. It'll probably cause conflict between him and Lu cause Lu is the exact opposite and might end up getting frustrated.

RebelVampire

9) I really love the body hair, I gotta say. Cause usually that's something left out with more painterly styles like this, and yet it's there and I can tell exactly what it is. And I just appreciate that the time is taken to add it in even when it doesn't necessarily add anything to the scenes in question. 10) Probably the age ol' tale of one person did something bad, whole group got blamed, rinse and repeat until everyone hates everyone. Ethan 1000% needs to be more careful. His sympathy is admirable, but it's gonna get him stabbed in the butt. There is just too much hate and past history, and it's gonna take more than Ethan's kindness to overcome that. Cause I don't think Ethan will figure out he needs to earn their trust until it's much too late and just kind of think being kind is enough. As for the Xi people's overall role, I think as they get closer to the heart, they're gonna be in more danger. But more than the risk of danger, I think Ethan is going to be changed and want to talk to the queen or something. And say hey, stop being a dick. And then the queen will be like, who tf are you strange giant man.

MJ Massey

9. keiiii is such a master of light but I also enjoy how her impressionistic brush strokes bring patterns to life as well. Each frame is a masterpiece. I was lucky enough to win a wall scroll from her and it's one of my favorite art pieces I have at home

Desnik

@keii4ii yup!! thats the one

NeilKapit

OK, the Unofficial Voice Casting for Heart of Keol

Ethan is Patrick Seitz

Danbi is Susan Dailan

Lushaka is Liam O’Brian

Hana is Cristina Vee

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Do you believe the assumptions are correct that Ethan’s dad had been to Keol and was an illegal Dokkabi? If not, what is your alternate theory? If so, how will this revelation affect Ethan’s well-being both physically and emotionally?

AshAngelV

11. Beautiful glowy magics and just under the surface tension/feelings that pop out and murder you emotionally. 12. I do think that's the case. And it could be that it'll send him looking for the piece of his father that didn't come home. (In a literal or metaphorical way.) It'll probably call this world into question, because what kind of world calls his father a criminal? Also it confirms that it is possible to return, but then what if it damages his mind the way his father's was. So, I imagine it'll wreck Ethan emotionally, which then would activate the magic potentially harming him physically.

Respheal

I'm finally catching up so I can answer questions (busy week aaaaaaaa) but the scene with the rainbow right after the Two Fools in the Rain chapter ends......In my heart of hearts I'm hoping Lu is purring so hard in that scene

"I'm not a housecat. -purrrrrr purrrrrrr-"

AshAngelV

Some big cats do pur.

Respheal

ah ha okay I'm caught up now 1. I'm a total sucker for two things: isekai, and characters with hidden powers. HoK tickles those both, BUT it approaches them from an original angle. For one, a significant portion of the world is also a newcomer to the world, so that's neat, and then the hidden powers aren't like.....the big deal. They're more spice in the curry that is the story. That said, I really enjoyed the calming down Ethan part of the train scene because on one hand, hidden powers get hyped and on the other it was one of the first definite "Awwww" moments between Lu and Ethan

2. Heck I have no idea anymore. I just can't even guess at this point xD 3. Ethan? Probably??? He's just a good wholesome boy, and he needs a hug :') 4. aaaaaaaaaaaa I don't knoooooow I had guesses but they keep going out the window so at this point I'm just along for the ride xD I thought the kid might've actually been the queen at one point but I don't know anymore

5. -croaks- so many? The opening illustration is gorgeous so that's one way to start a comic xD Keii4ii's lighting has been phenomenal throughout(edited)

everything is so glowy and shiny

12. And yeah, the idea of Ethan's dad having been to Keol? Hold up. If that's true, I guess that means the gates aren't one-way after all, so that has some interesting implications for Ethan's potential return home in the future (will he take that option if it becomes available? Good question ) But also...I don't think it would impact Ethan's opinion of him all that much? It wasn't what happened to his family, it's that it happened at all, and the way it impacted them. Although yeah for sure it has some scary possibilities for Ethan's own well being if he can't control the Dokkabi power But he's got Lu so it'll be alright.....right?

keii4ii

aaaaaaa

Summary of my feelings:

AshAngelV

Lol

Not really sure what emotion is associated with tentacles.

keii4ii

One way to interpret the tenta is wiggly

AshAngelV

Haha

NeilKapit

Just occurred to me that Heart of Keol is an isekai, even though it predates that genre’s recent surge in popularity

It’s much better than most of what I’ve seen in that anime genre, since the characters are much more complicated and authentic

It’s a story involving a troubled young man spirited away to an alternate fantasy world that prompts him to work through his problems while trying to find his way back

Though I suppose stranger in a strange land stories are far, far, FAR older

keii4ii

Thank you! Yeah, I think HoK is only technically an isekai. While it fits the definition, it doesn't fit the expectations, for better or worse. And it wasn't because I was trying to make "an isekai... but different!" I just made the story the way I saw it, and the similarities as well as differences are kinda coincidental.

The story is what it is.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Why do you think the Hornets are interested in Danbi? Do you think Lushaka will be able to go through with his betrayal? How will this betrayal affect his growing relationship with Ethan?

ShaRose49

I think maaaybe Danbi is more powerful than he seems? Or maybe there’s another reason they’re interested in him, maybe it has to do with his mother. I’m just spitballing here. I just wanna say that the art for this comic is breathtaking, and danbi’s expressions are so soft and gentle

AshAngelV

13. I'm looking forward to Ethan finding out his Dad was in Keol. Not sure if it's excitement, or dread, though. Lol 14. I think it has something to do with the future king. I don't think Lu would be able to go through with it if it'd obviously hurt Ethan, but if he thought he could get away with it, he might. If he were to kill Danbi and Ethan found out about it, I think that'd end their relationship completely.

Jonny Aleksey

I've just read through every 2019 update. I've most definitely missed important stuff but I really wanted to participate in CTP seeing as I keep missing it. 1. Ch27-9. Post hair cutting. It looks beautiful. Such amazing angles for such an emotional scene. This is a mark of a good comic. They art told me the gravity of what happened even thou I didn't know much about the hair situation. 2. The flashback said that hair dye doesn't work on Danbi's mom so unless she can hide, it's unlikely. Might even lead to an emotional gut-punch. 3. I like Ethan. I guess I like semi-clueless but heartwarming goofs . Also he's from Jersey. That's pretty cool.

Jonny Aleksey

5. Probably Ch27-9 again. The angle and detail is great but it's probably the colors. This comic's bright colors are eye candy. 8. Again, only going from the 2019 pages it seems Elyeo Father King legend is very important to this city, but they seem to hate the blue haired people. Maybe they're hoping to find the next King to get rid of the people they hate/afraid of. Seems like a villain thing to do (if the Queen is a villain that is) 9. I've noticed that red and blue are colors that aren't seen on people but they appear together often in the environment. Not sure what that means but those colors do seem to be important. 11. If I hadn't made it clear, the colors are a huge strength but I think it wouldn't be as good if it wasn't for the storytelling. 28-6 and 28-7 are best examples as this is essentially just two people talking but each panel is unique and flows well so I wasn't bored. The facial emoting is good too tho a few full front faces are strange.

12. Ethan's "dad" in the flashback is wearing an army uniform which I find interesting. I'm not sure where Koel is (I'm sure it's explained in the previous chapters),, it's clearly an Asian aesthetic. Maybe there'll be some Korean War allusions, hinting at some reason the US would be there. I admit it going out there for theories but it's something I thought about.

Jonny Aleksey

13. Seeing Ethan was my favorite character I do want to see what his dad (if it even is him) is like. I did really like what I read because of the art and somber tone. What I read seemed like a down time in the story, a slow burn; so I'm excepting something intense to happen. Maybe someone finds out Danbi is whatever he is and it leads to a chase sequence.

RebelVampire

11) The illustrations. This comic strikes a good balance between painterly and detail that gives it really unique imagery among contemporary comics. In particular, though, the lighting. This comic is a great example of what can happen for your comic when you do lighting really well, cause it creates such much atmosphere you almost choke on it (in the good way). 12) Yes, I do believe Ethan's dad was in Keol. That was my guess even before more recent pages inserted more of the implication. There's too many connected dots for it not to be the case, honestly. XD As for its affect on Ethan, I think at first it's gonna be confusion. Cause I doubt his dad ever mentioned Keol, and I doubt being in Keol explained all his dad's behaviors. Then honestly, probably the 5 stages of grief. So denial it was what happened, angry that nobody magically knew about Keol or something, bargaining that his dad could be fixed from the insight, depression that nothing would be the same like Ethan hoped for, and acceptance that at least there are answers to be had and it makes more sense as to why he got summoned to Keol. Which that last one I think is the one that will hit him teh hardest emotionally. That he is there for a reason and it's not just a coincidence.

13) Lu and Ethan and their continually growing relationship (that I swear I will cry over if their relationship is forever ruined.) 14) Honestly? I just assumed it's some half-baked schemes to defy the queen and keep the king from showing up. Or something like that. Like I really got the impression from the whole reveal scene with Lu is the Hornets really arent thinking their plans through that well and/or are at least poorly organized. I think Lu is gonna have second thoughts and bail for Ethan's sake. And while Ethan is passionate enough to forgive, I think Ethan is gonna find himself in a rock and hard place. Cause Danbi I don't think will forgive Lu. Not after the previous lie Lu told and shit. So Ethan is probably gonna get hurt more by being putting into a situation where he has to choose between helping his giant cat love and helping the dude who first helped him when he arrived and somewhat owes a life debt to.

keii4ii

I super appreciate all the comments here! In the past, some people told me how the art is the only good thing about the comic, haha. I used to get really down about that. It's great to see that you guys appreciate the art not just because it looks pretty, but also because it serves the story. I'm here to tell the story, after all!

Also very happy to see some love for Ethan and Lu's relationship

keii4ii

I'm looking forward to showing all the heartbreaks and their aftermaths (which hopefully include healing and growth)

There's gonna be a lot of worldbuilding info and plotty-ness, like what the Hornets are trying to do and why, but in this story, ultimately all of that is just context for the emotional development.

keii4ii

Also @ the correct and partially correct theories, despite the scarcity of information in the comic so far... I'm not a theorizer myself as a reader, so I'm amazed when people can come up with solid theories!

Even the ones that are going to be proven otherwise have good thought behind them!

ShaRose49

I can give you some constructive criticism if you’d like—though I only read like, 50+ pages and I’m much more of a newb than you are @keii4ii Just some little things I’ve noticed

But I don’t wanna sound like a smartass either it is certainly good quality overall

keii4ii

What kind of constructive criticism are we talking? Like, what topics/areas?

ShaRose49

Probably mostly with the character development

But I can be bad at explaining things

Like I’m bad with words I mean sometimes

keii4ii

Generally speaking, I think "this didn't work for me because [reason]" is pretty down to earth and non-snobby. It acknowledges subjectivity, and accepts that it might work just fine or even great for other readers

ShaRose49

Yeah, something like that! It might help, might not, but you never know

keii4ii

like in the past I... even ran into someone who not only said my writing was bad, but also unintentionally insulted people who liked my story by saying something to the effect of "no one who's looking for a good story would read this."

ShaRose49

Yah that’s dumb, like you can’t speak for every person lol

keii4ii

Also are we talking the first 50 pages?

ShaRose49

Yeah around that—probably more, but I haven’t read all of it, that’s for sure

keii4ii

Okay, what's the thing that didn't work for you? (don't give me like a whole List of All the Bad Things You Did, I don't want to be overwhelmed )

ShaRose49

Yeah don’t worry I get overwhelmed too

So I think one of your biggest strengths is worldbuilding—you’ve built an incredibly detailed and unique world with Keol. So if people are into rich, fantasy worlds, they’d probably adore this story. However I find that we know very little about almost all of the character’s personal lives? They have a few interesting quirks, but it still felt hard for me to connect with any characters because we only see very brief and vague flashbacks of their struggles and whatnot

keii4ii

Oh, I think that auto-resolves

ShaRose49

For me, personally, the characters are usually why I read the story or why I don’t. But it does seem like they’ll get more interesting eventually, it’s just taking awhile I guess

keii4ii

This is a very slow burn story, and the character development isn't meant to hit you like a fire hose.

ShaRose49

Yeah That’s fair. I didn’t mean something super obvious, but perhaps a little more clarity with at least one of the characters might’ve been good, but no worries that’s bound to improve

I can somewhat relate to Ethan having a relative who is so ill they’re almost not the same person anymore. My grandparents on my dad’s side had/have dementia which can be hard and sad

keii4ii

What I'm wondering is what anyone even likes about the worldbuilding in the early chapters It doesn't seem special to me, lol (and this isn't self depreciation; it's not bad, it just is to me.)

kayotics

Speaking as a reader who also likes strong characterization: heart of Keol is very slow burn, but I find that the characters are very rich, just in super nuanced ways

ShaRose49

Oh my gosh, the world you’ve created is so unique! It feels like dreams I’ve had

keii4ii

like I know some people who were interested because it was Asian fantasy that wasn't Japanese for once, but that's not special to me. I'm Korean, I consume Korean media, and I am very used to seeing Korean settings.

ShaRose49

I only have experience with some Korean media, and that’s mostly drama webcomics

keii4ii

I guess though, not every Korean fantasy is as glowy as HoK!

ShaRose49

The world is probably the best part for me so far

I just love the portal thingy

keii4ii

@kayotics Thank you! Nuance is something very important to me

snuffysam

Yeah the characters are my favorite part of the comic. Especially how the relationship between Ethan and Lu develops. In fact, that's my answer to (13). I want to see where that relationship goes. If Ethan finds out about Lu's... shadier outings, how will he handle it? Stuff like that.

keii4ii

Every character's gonna need a special anti-breaking armor for their heart. . . .

NeilKapit

OK, I’m caught up on HoK from start to finish, I’ll start work on the questions

Treating this like an old school assignment because I want to do this right

keii4ii

btw there might be a couple more pages to read on the main site, if you're reading on Comic Fury!

NeilKapit

1.) The recent scene with Ethan and Lushaka, where Lushaka comforts Ethan as he’s recounting his father’s mental illness and the harassment they both got for it, definitely stands out

keii4ii

(Thank you for reading, Neil and everyone. I appreciate this!)

NeilKapit

2.) I’m not sure where Danbi’s mom is and what she’s doing right not and what she thinks of Danbi; honestly I don’t tend to try and predict these large scale mysteries, because anything I come up with as a reader would ultimately be less than what the writer will surprise me with, and I don’t want that surprise poisoned for me by not living up to my “head Canon”

3.) Lushaka, whose personality can be described like a good steak— tough outside, tender inside. Always a fan of A.) cats and B.) stoics, and he’s certainly both. How he’s gone so far with the disfiguring wounds on his feet is impressive but also makes me feel bad for him, on top of everything else he’s been through.

4.) See #2....wherever I think this story is going with all the plot threads set up won’t be as good as the reality. I can say that the twist about Ethan’s dad having visited Keol was shocking, but in a good way since it connected a lot of things

5.) Too many to count, but I did bust out laughing in the Q&A section with Ethan in a dating sim. Some of the scenes with the new woman with the dreads showing off her powers by balancing multiple falling objects at once were especially impressive.

And, at risk of sounding like a broken record, tiger mode Lushaka comforting Ethan

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Heart of Keol this week! Please also give a special thank you to keiiii for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Heart of Keol, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://www.heartofkeol.com/

keiiii’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/keii4ii

keiiii ’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiiii4

[spnfanficpond]

November 2018 Pond LiveChat Recap

We had a great time chatting with Rhi, @kittenofdoomage!!! Thank you so much for joining us!

We talked about getting readers, interacting with readers, and how Tumblr has made it more and more difficult with their changes for new writers to get noticed. Details from our discussion with Rhi under the cut, as well as notes on what we’re working on in the Pond!

Q: Do you wait until you are done writing a series before you begin posting, or do you post as you write?

I wait until I'm done writing a series. At some point, the idea will catch me and I have to write the entire thing, which will take about three days. Editing for another 1-2 depending on my betas and then it gets released in its entirety on Patreon (my patrons like reading the entire fic in one go, they're paying for it so I'm not gonna make 'em wait) and comes out in chapters on Tumblr about three-four weeks later. I hate feeling like I'm making people wait too long and then shit happens like it did with three of my permanently hiatused fics.

Q: Well, as for why we're here, Rhi, you get so many asks every day. How do you have such involved readers?

A lot of my readers who respond are regulars. I have those who pop up with the odd "this is awesome" and those who will write long involved reviews which I love!

Q: Do you think there's anything in particular that you do that encourages people to interact with you?

Yeah, I'm open with people and pretty approachable. I like discussing things, plot points, characters, anything really. There are very few things that trigger me, too. I have only three specific things that will turn me away from a fic. I think my lack of triggers helps with people who need someone like that to talk to.

Q: Do you ever ask around and try to figure out what people are looking to read to try and help boost your reader count or do you just draw inspiration from your own ideas?

At the moment, I'm mostly working on commissions, so it's other people's ideas. I'm lucky that most of my Patrons and commissioners are very patient with me and know up front that I have no specific time limits. I will write it but I can't force it. And I won't force it because that leaves everyone with a shit story.I never put an idea away forever though. I write them all down. If inspiration hits for something, I write it there and then because I never know if I'll get that mojo back.

Q: Has there ever been an Idea that has caught you by surprise when you start it as one thing but it ends up as something else?

Only about six thousand times.

Over The Hills And Far Away that I'm writing now, was supposed to only be a Dean x reader but my reader decided to go and have chemistry with Sam too.

Q: Have you noticed a bump in followers after you do anything specific?

I always have a bump in followers after Sinful Sunday. Unfortunately, I always end up with a bump in unsolicited dick pics and porn bots, too, so a purge usually follows. When I post new characters or fandoms, too. I've recently picked up a bunch of Marvel followers.

Q: As a big blog, you must also get some hate. How do you deal with that?

They don't like me because I play with them and their insults are like water off a duck's back with me. Unless they bring my kid into it. I shut an entire set of blogs down when that happened. That's also why I no longer post anything to do with my daughter. I will avoid using her name wherever possible. If I'm in a bad mood, I ignore it. If I'm feeling like an utter bitch, I'll tear them a new asshole.

Q: Rhi, it sounds like you have a lot on your plate with family, work, and writing.  Is there anything in particular that keeps your creativity flowing so you don't burn out?

I try and do something different every day. Painting, gaming, going for a walk - it's important for me not to spend all my time on one thing. Even if it's just cleaning. I also listen to a lot of music - Classic Rock on Absolute Radio is my fav. Actually, my favorite time to think about fics is when I'm about to go to sleep.

Q: I'm not sure how to even ask this, but I came into the spn fic fandom a little late and so I'm finding it difficult to gather new followers. Do you have any advice? I have a master post with the few pieces I've written but I've gotten a lot of flack for writing OCs...

Tumblr is not helping with regards to gaining new followers lately. Tags aren't working if you're an NSFW blog, no one can search anything. The only thing I can suggest is reblogging, asking other authors if they'll read your work.

[Other suggestions from the chat included submitting fics to @dirtysupernaturalimagines and the Pond, joining other people’s writing challenges (The Pond’s S14 Challenge is here, @thing-you-do-with-that-thing is always running challenges, and @mrswhozeewhatsis has a tag #writing challenge on her blog). Also, “Tumblr loves porn” and the fandom loves Dean, in particular, so writing more Dean smut will get you more readers. Just adding “Dean x Reader” to the tags, even if the relationship is barely mentioned, will get you more readers. Sam will get you the same result, but to a lesser extent. Rhi got bigger writing ABO fics, and carved out a niche for herself with them to the point she’s considered the ABO expert in reader insert fics. Another tip was to strip OC’s of names and defining physical features, since OC’s don’t get a lot of love. Many “Y/N”’s are actually just OC’s without a name. Also, if you’re writing a story that will eventually have smut, list “eventual smut” in the tags.]

Q: Random question:  a bunch of us smaller blogs have noticed a drop in reblogs over the last year or so, and I'd be curious to know if, as a bigger blog, you've seen anything like this as well?

Absolutely. A year ago I was getting about 10-20k notes a day. Now, if I hit a thousand, it's a good day and I'm expecting to take a massive hit because of Sinful Sunday, if they don't entirely delete my blog.

Q: Does anyone have any idea why the notes have all dropped so much?  Is it a glitch in notes?  People being more apprehensive to reblog nsfw things because of all the nsfw fear going on?

Community responses: The posts with outside links not showing up in searches is related to bots and porn blogs that only reblog posts to add a link to a sketchy outside web page. Several months ago, though, Tumblr started the “best stuff first” algorithm (which can be turned off in your dashboard settings, but not everyone knows this), and that pushed posts with few notes to the bottom of the dashboard feed. Since you never really get to the bottom, those posts never get seen. Tags and reblogs to build up note counts are the only way to combat this. Now, messing with the search functions means that there will be no new readers without blogs that just reblog fics, like the Pond and @dirtysupernaturalimagines and such.

[Editor’s Note: Rhi told us she’s working on a UPS Driver!Sam fic!! I’m excited. “What can Brown do for me?” YES, PLEASE!]

What’s coming up in the Pond:

Angel Fish Award nominations are due by the end of the month, so you have less than a week to submit yours and gain an entry for every nomination into the raffle! Win fabulous prizes just for spreading love! HOW COOL IS THAT? (Also, don’t forget to submit your own fics to the Pond so that other Pond members can easily find them and nominate them!)

Note: Please use the submission form to submit nominations. Asks do not allow you to include a link to the fic, and sometimes we can’t find what you’re nominating, especially now that Tumblr searches don’t work.

Design contest to find a Pond graphic! Entries are due by the end of the month, so less than a week away! So far, we have ONE (1) entry! (I mean, it’s a pretty fabulous entry, but still!) Winner gets their choice of swag with their design on it!!

SPNFanFicPond Season 14 Weekly Episode Writing Challenge - Since we didn’t have a new episode this past Thursday, the previous week’s challenge is still collecting submissions. (Honestly, there’s no deadline on any of them. Post a fic using a prompt from any week, and you’ll still be added to the masterpost and reblogged on the Pond blog.)

New Member Spotlight Post coming soon! Check out last month’s post here!

Still accepting additions and discussion about the Warning Tag List (tags to be used to assist folks in avoiding triggers and protect their mental health, not be confused with tags to help people find or avoid preferences). Reply or reblog the post itself, or send an ask to the Pond with suggestions!

Plans are in the works to try and make the blog more app-friendly. Please be patient with us in the meantime!

Plans to expand the beta program to make it easier to find the type of beta you need are also on the to-do list.

Housekeeping Note: If you send an ask to the Pond and do not get a response in a couple of days, please notify one of the admins (Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis, Mana - @manawhaat, or Kale - @aprofoundbondwithdean) via IM and let us know!

Thanks to everyone who joined us this month and made it an awesome conversation!! Can’t wait for next month!

Next month’s discussion: Giving feedback to other writers and how a beta reader can help your writing! Joining us will be @littlegreenplasticsoldier!

Be there Dec. 15th at the usual time!  (Los Angeles - 2PM, New York - 5PM, London - 10PM, Melbourne - Sunday 9AM)

[judenightfell]

Hi!

So I made this blog a couple of weeks ago and still haven’t made a proper introduction of myself in this community, so here we go!

My name is Ash (at least, it’s my nickname online, but my full name isn’t Ashley), I’m 20 and currently in my third year of uni. I’m an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing, and a Film minor, and I will be able to graduate early (hell yes, less money to owe! *she says as she’s already drowning in debt*) I’m working towards one day becoming a published author, and will possible be an editor in a publishing house first (peeps need to contact me back UGH)

I got into TSC when I was in 10th grade--the movie was being made and I read through all the first 5 TMI books like three times, waiting for CoHF to drop, and guys let me tell you, once it did, I read all the way through to the dreams in Edom and then for some God damn reason stopped and didn’t read any more until next year. idk why (I totally know why--i hate when things end) BUT then I realised TID series was finishing up, so I read all of those, then went back to finish cohf lmao

then, things were pretty quiet for me with these books. I wasn’t apart of the fandom (my main tumblr is a 1d blog, so if you see stylesmyth liking your post, but chocolateforemma reblogging, that’s me lmao) and I had no clue tda was being written. But summer of 2018 came around, I was bored as shit and decided to reread the first two series for like the twentieth time, and THEN found out about TDA and fuck man, that wait for Queen was brutal

my relationship with these books is so weird. I have plenty of books on my shelves that I’ve never even opened to read (maybe one day *insert “and then I didn’t” gif*) but I find myself drawn to keep reading and rereading these books, and never get tired of it (I finished rsom the other day and also finished my reread of shadowhunter academy, so I’ll likely start a reread of tmi as soon as a 10pg paper about Hamlet if off my shoulders)

now, how about some stats (not really stats, but just favourite, least favourites of stuff) fav book? literally can’t decide, next question least fav? City of Fallen Angels, fight me fav series? i could sit here all day and go back and forth between them movie or tv show? MOVIE WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT (side note: in January, I decided I would try to watch the show, but i kid you not, the first minute of it pissed me off so fucking much, and WHY THE FUCK WOULD JOCELYN GIVE CLARY A STELE UGH, obvs i have very passionate thoughts about the first ten mins of the pilot episode so movie) ((another note: I WILL FOREVER BE PISSED THE MOVIES DIDN’T CONTINUE)) fav ships: listen. I know everyone here loves malec and kitty and yes I do love them too, but because of the way I connect with books, I typically go for the ships that are presented immediately and latch onto them more: Clace, Wessa and Jemma (I do like Jem and Tessa, but fuck I love Will) ((and I’m sure I’ll latch onto Kitty when twp comes out and when...they’re a better age to appropriately ship))

faceclaims? (I think y’all call them fancast) but I see all the tmi characters as those cast in the movie (lily, Jamie, etc), for TID Astrid Berges-Frisbey as Tess and Douglas Booth as Will, and TDA i think I’ve settled for Lorenzo Zurzolo for Julian but God I’ve been having the toughest time finding someone I like for Emma (so if you have thoughts, I would love to hear your fc for her)

last thing, I’ve been graphic designing for six (seven?) years, so you’ll probs be seeing more from me in the future (i would love to get into drawing the characters but school ugh no time) but for now you can check out my Enneagram Series and request a character you’d like me to do next!!!

Cool, okay, this was long (stop by my inbox to chat, would love to get to know the peeps in the community more!!!)

Ash x

[mrsspidermanmaryjanewatsonparker]

Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows Vol 2 #6-7 Thoughts

Previous thoughts here.

Okay I’ve finally caught up to where I left off with RYV in 2017 so these are my thoughts on the X-Men arc.

I have very mixed feeling about this arc depending upon what POV I look at it from.

As a general story unto itself and an instalment in this series it was pretty great.

However in the context of an AU series with a limited shelf-life as is and in a context when Spider-Man had so often been sharing the spotlight (and the Spider-Marriage hadn’t been seen) making what amounted to a standard paint by numbers X-Men story just from the Parker’s POV was very questionable even if I like the X-Men.

Finally from the POV of a guy who likes the X-Men but isn’t hardcore but is very much in love with 90s X-Men (which this version is based upon) my feelings are very mixed.

And that boils down to what I love about the X-Men and that era of the X-Men vs. how Conway apparently feels about them.

But let’s get general perennial opinions out the way. I’ve grown to begrudgingly accept the conceit of this series as a Spider Family book and a book where we are just going to ignore the child endangerment issues at play. But i’ve spoken about that before in my older coverage of issues #1-5. Similarly in those issues and it still holds true for this arc, Stegman is the goddam man when it comes to the artwork.

Whilst there was one panel in which he tried to draw MJ shocked and upset and it came off just goofy, over all the artwork in this arc was stunning and I genuinely said ‘wow’ out loud when I got to the splash page of Spider-Man and Wolverine.

Keeping on the visuals for a moment, I goddam love the costumes chosen for the characters here. Yes even the reimagined looks for Toad, Crucible and Mist Mistress.

Obviously I don’t talk X-Men here much but I adore the 1990s X-Men costumes from the 1992 cartoon, which originated under Jim Lee. And honestly they genuinely are among the most iconic and visually dynamic looks for the characters so it’s not purely personal preference. This is especially resonant for me with Wolverine. Spider-Man is my favourite (American comic book) character and following him are various Spider-Verse characters like MJ, Norman Osborn, Ben Reilly, Mayday, etc.

But outside of those Spider-Verse characters, Wolverine is my absolute fav Marvel character and it’s always annoyed me that Marvel were like embarrassed to put him in his classic Giant-Sized X-Men uniform once Whedon began writing X-Men.

That is THE iconic Wolverine look and in this story Stegman brought it back baby!

Similarly I appreciated that the Magneto of this story both looked and acted like classic Magneto. Not the aweful black and silver shit he was wearing around this time in the comics and I’ve never been fond of him as a good guy member of the X-Men.

Honestly, whilst I get it was well executed character development, Magneto is inherently more interesting as a morally grey antagonist for the X-Men than among their ranks. So much of the core premise of X-Men is built around the fundamental philosophical conflict between Magneto’s beliefs and Xaviers that you lose a not insignificant chunk of the essence of X-Men when you put them on the same side. Not to mention in a superhero story you want strong characters as antagonists and Magneto is arguably the best X-Men villain, scratch that best comic book villain, ever.

Okay now let’s chat story.

I wasn’t pleased with  the deaths in this. Banshee might be few people’s fav  but Beast was and in both cases their quick shock deaths were unearned and unworthy. Kind of overly dark to be honest with you given the nature of the RYV book and it gave the impression that Conway isn’t fond of either character.

But that sentiment shines through far more poignantly with Jubilee and Cyclops. Whilst Cyclops gets screwed over slightly less badly than he did in the X-Men movies, the same problems occur. He gets undermined in favour of Wolverine and so Logan and Jean can be shipped together. Which is only a different flavour of frustrating if you LIKE the Cyclops/Jean relationship as I do, than when Jean got screwed over so Scott and Emma could hook up. I still despise that.*

But at least this was kind of believable, at least to me. No X-Men expert so maybe their break up was OOC, but the idea that Cyclops and Jean broke up because Jean didn’t have faith in controlling her Godlike powers whilst Cyclops did is an interesting piece of relationship drama. And at least the characters in RYV didn’t get fucked as hard as they did in the 2000s.

Still you can kind of tell Conway isn’t a big fan of Cyclops (understandable he has his haters, I hate 2000s-2010s Cyclops) but you can equally tell he really doesn’t like Jubilee.

Again, not an X-Men expert here but I’m pretty sure Jubilee being a traitor to the X-Men and being disillusioned by Xavier’s methods is immensely OOC for her character.

Now that isn’t that big of a deal because this is an AU at the end of the day. But if you like Jubilee or just know her character then it will probably annoy you. Unfortunately for one reason or another Jubilee in my observations seems to get a lot of hate that Kitty Pryde and X-23 don’t and I do not understand why.

In the cases of both characters I could tell instantly that Conway was setting one of them up to be the traitor and honestly if you are doing an AU book, Cyclops is kind of the more interesting choice although I grant you maybe not in the context of 2010s Cyclops who already murdered Xavier in AvX and has been a douchebag for a long time. But in the context of this story and 1990s X-Men which this story is trading off of, it’s the more interesting choice. I will give it to Conway though for at least bothering to give us 2 suspects. These days most writers wouldn’t even bother with that and just think they were being subtle when they have Jubilee say shit like “Maybe your human friend wouldn’t like you if she knew you were a mutant!”

On some final notes about the X-Men themselves I feel like there was maybe something more interesting you could’ve done with Jean and Wolverine’s child than what we got with Shine. In her personality and powers she could be any one of the army of Summers/Grey children or any given generic mutant. There is no Wolverine in her to be seen.

That’s not me inherently hating her. She’s just more of a missed opportunity. She was adorable unto herself and even moreso in her relationship with Annie and I hope that gets revisited in consequent issues.

My final little note regarding the X-Men themselves was that I didn’t care for Magneto being mind controlled at the end or his over all plan.

Okay, it’s more like I felt his plan was underdeveloped. Because it’s not that it didn’t make sense because it was literally the same plan from X2: X-Men United. But Conway basically expected you to have just known  that because of the visuals and results of the plan. And for comic book and comic book movie fans like me, sure I know the shorthand but it’s not good storytelling. Similarly Emma Frost shows up at the end, barely talks but just kind of takes over as the main villain when Magneto had been the guy built up in the story and...he, he’s Magneto dude. That’s like having Puppet Master show up towards the end of a story where Doom’s been the main villain and take over.

Also doesn’t his helmet shield him from psychic control? I mean again it’s an AU and I feel like that wasn’t established until way later about Magneto but still.

I also wanna talk about how this arc more than anything else just blows up the continuity between RYV volume 1 and volume 2.

In RYV vol 1 #1 it was a big deal that the X-Men got wiped out by Regent and the implication was that the universe diverged in the early-mid 1990s.

In this arc though it’s made crystal clear that obviously the X-Men are fine and that in this universe (the dumpster fire clusterfuck that was) Civil War 2006 was avoided.

Which is again an example of Conway subtly saying screw you to stuff he doesn’t like but I don’t mind that because yeah screw Civil War it was hot trash. But it does make RYV volume 1 way more confusing in terms of continuity, especially since literally no other post-Secret Wars ongoing series (including X-Men ’92) seemed to radically alter their universe after the event like RYV did.

Honestly I think the only way to have it make sense is to just say RYV volume 2 is an alternate version of the RYV volume 1 characters and that prior to volume 2 a guy called the Regent showed up, stole some people’s powers then Spider-Man and his family stopped him. He didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t take over the world, he wasn’t trying to kill God Emperor Doom or whatever and the world didn’t know who Spider-Man was by the end of it.

This actually jives way better with what Houser would later establish in her run on RYV that Annie isn’t a daughter Peter and MJ had INSTEAD of Mayday, but in fact the daughter they would’ve had if OMD hadn’t fucked everything up. I guess in the RYV universe though Spider-Man never joined the Avengers and fashion was stuck in the 1990s even in the 2000s.

I’m not complaining I’m just trying to get all this stuff straight.

Okay let’s move onto the Parker family.

I loved the payoff to issue #2 with MJ planning a party and it turning out to be for Peter’s birthday. That was the best scene in the whole story. Normal life drama with supporting characters we know and love. This is the heart of Spider-Man! And it came with adorable scenes like Annie confronting the horror of gluten free desserts and acknowledgments of Aunt May and Aunt Anna’s deaths.

The heart of the story was the stuff related to whether Peter and MJ should make Annie stay at the Xavier school or not and the scenes exploring this were really good.

Spider-Man deal with relatively relatable everyday issues and failing that stuff that s clearly allegorical to said issues. In this case Annie’s powers are allegorical to a kid with a disability, special learning issues, or someone with a particular aptitude for learning that would make a normal school more challenging.

Special props goes to Peter relating to how he struggled in school and not wanting that for Annie. In MJ’s case though she wants to keep her daughter close. This makes sense retroactively when you consider she’s already lost one child and if you pretend RYV vol 1 happened then she spent years keeping Annie close out of fear that she died.

Putting those aside though it could be a commentary upon MJ’s own childhood growing up where she was constantly being uprooted and saw her family and her sister’s family fall apart. For MJ it’s likely very important that the family unit stay close together.

Conway’s writing shines because he organically (albeit not as subtly as he could) has them switch positions creating yet more potential conflict and makes sure Annie has her own view on the matter. She likes the school, she likes Shine but she doesn’t want things to change and justifies this in a childish way by making out a popular kid in her school is a bigger deal than she actually is.

My major point of condemnation though is that I feel way more could’ve been done with the premise (e.g. having MJ and Jean connect over super powered kids) than actually was because so much of the plot is dominated by villains invading the Xavier school for the umpteenth time.

Actually goes into two other problems with the arc. This is an incredibly generic X-Men storyline because obviously it’s from a Spider-Man perspective. Like if an X-Men story tried to present a window into the world of Spider-Man it’d be a typical thing about him making rent, working for Jameson and missing a date or whatever. It’s like default setting X-Men and whilst I like that because I miss those days before X-Men became a clusterfuck, it’s not the most compelling main plot in the world.

And honestly it wraps up too quickly and easily, MJ just decks Emma Frost and the story is done. Annie and Peter don’t get involved enough which is weird because isn’t this a team book? I mean as the story highlights it makes Mj look cool but I don’t like doing that at the expense of the other characters.

Now in fairness that might’ve been set up for the next arc, which I know is about MJ becoming Venom. The last page or two of the arc implies this because it features an overtly villainous Liz Allan.

At first I raised my eyebrow at this. Around that same time Liz had been presented as evil in the 616 books and I thought this might’ve been lame out of nowhere synergy.

But in thinking about it, if this really is a Liz Allan who is recently went through the stuff she dealt with in DeMatteis’ Harry Osborn arc from the 1990s (as is the implication) then Liz would be a darker person, would be more hard hearted to protect her son and she wasn’t the nicest person to the Parkers at that time.

Although issue #4 had MJ refer to Normie as creepy implying the Osborns and Parkers generally aren’t all that close in this universe.

Regardless Liz with the Venom symbiote targeting MJ and having the there be an explicit thematic connection between them via their shared motherhood was a darkly delicious moment.

As many mixed feelings as I have for this arc over all I give it a solid B.

*Hence I personally also loved Emma Frost just being a plain villain and getting decked by MJ because I goddam hate Emma Frost I really do.

[marypoppinswasmyfatherbitches]

Oh my goodness, I didnt see the link to your fanfic account! I am dumb. So ignore my previous ask and instead answer this one for the meme. 13, 3, 14, 1 and 2 for Happiness goes on? (I shall leave reviews on your beautiful fanfic soon I promise, they are good.)

(Hiii, sooo…this whole reply is late because I actually typed up ALL OF THIS last night, and then accidentally “x”-ed out of my browser and lost it all, because I am very very stupid. And then was too tired to retype it up before going to sleep. I hope I remember roughly everything, and apologies for that mistake.)

Oh! Haha! Alright then! Thank you! Don’t feel dumb at all for not realizing which AO3 account is mine or for your previous ask(which for others who are curious, said: “1 - 5 for all your fics! Just talk about your favs!”). I was prepared to choose 3 fics (including “Happiness Goes On” since that’s definitely the one I’m most proud of, so I guess that’s closest to a “favorite” right?), and go through the first 5 questions for each, though I won’t lie and say it wouldn’t have taken some time to answer.

BUUUT…since you said to scrap that first ask, I’ll answer these individual ones for “Happiness Goes On.” And your compliment and promise for a future review means SO goddamn much, thank you sincerely.

(WARNING / REMINDER: This is about my fic that deals with the subject of child molestation, and I do reference that a little bit in this reply. Don’t read further if it makes you uncomfortable, which I entirely understand and respect.)

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13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

HA! Well, American Pie obviously, for a majority of it. While brainstorming / writing / editing the epilogue? A lotta Billy Joel. ;)

The idea to use American Pie bounced into my brain when it came on the radio at the thrift shop where I volunteer, one of the rare times my own music speaker battery died. Usually a disaster, because our store radio is pretty crappy, but the sound quality wasn’t too bad that day, and I rediscovered how much I love that song and ‘Why isn’t this on my ipod again?’. Listening to the lyrics, I realized how much some of them fit the Guardians in general, and this story specifically, which I have Gamora mentally note in the fic. I was sitting and casually chatting with the manager while also thinking, ‘Google what year this came out when you get home, but I’m sure it’s the 70′s. Peter would know it, and it could be the Zune. I think it could work.’ I’m proud that I was able to reference the song so many times without actually naming it by title, but I assume most readers knew what it was, it’s just that famous. (I also couldn’t resist the light-hearted joke, later when things calmed down, of Gamora saying “This…is the longest song…I have ever heard.” and Peter smiling without even looking at her and giving a cheeky “I know.”)

In terms of using Billy Joel for the epilogue, I’m just a Billy Joel fanatic. The use of him for this story began just from the We Didn’t Start the Fire joke toward Rocket at the bar (I thought it was clever, Peter!), and later on I saw how The Longest Time fit romantically for Starmora, and some of the lyrics matched the healing themes of the overall story, and I thought ‘Maybe they’ve been playing BIlly Joel since that night; maybe that can be the joke.’ Why shouldn’t his Greatest Hits albums (at least) be on the Zune? I struggled a lot over what song should be the final one Gamora comments on before they switch artists to appease the group. I never specify which romantic Billy Joel song Peter and Gamora slow danced to during their “date night” in that six-week summary, but I like to imagine it was Just the Way You Are. I considered Keeping the Faith or Vienna for the final one, but I thought they deserved something more fun and naughty to analyze this time, so Only the Good Die Young it is. :D

In conclusion, I listened to The Longest Time, and the entire An Innocent Man studio album, a lot (as if I needed an excuse).3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

The portion in italics is my favorite line, but I’m including the entire sentence for context purposes: “She would need to grow used to him viewing Yondu as a caring parent who was extraordinarily protective of his boy, and would have hunted down this pervert to whistle a glowing arrow through her skull.”14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Ohh geez, wow, that one is tough. I don’t know if it’s accurate to say this story was intended to educate, but just to explore the idea with fictional characters. I have no expertise on the subject, and would never claim such, or talk down to those who do. I didn’t intend to create a PSA. I suppose all of the “lessons” for Peter (if they can be called that) I hope all readers already know and agree on (basically a collection of “it wasn’t your fault” and “this doesn’t define you” and “trauma isn’t a competition, someone else suffering worse doesn’t invalidate your experience” and “you should feel comfortable talking about anything without judgement or shame” etc.).

Slightly lesser scale messages, there’s also reminders about the importance of communication, trusting each other, letting the other person speak in an argument, not letting one’s jealousy/instincts/bad mood interfere with fairness, not running away from a fight or staying angry, respecting boundaries and privacy, all that healthy relationship jazz that these two are still figuring out. 1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

This post is already very long, and I could probably talk for hours about the decision-making process for many scenes (of my GotG fics, this took the longest to write and publish, over 2 months), so I’ll try to condense this to a few bullet points that probably don’t fit the “inspired” criteria.

- It was originally going to be in two parts, 4 scenes each, when I thought the epilogue would be much shorter. But as the lil’ wrap-up got longer (because we needed a fluffy conclusion, dammit!), I decided to make it a separate “chapter.”

- I think the concept probably started as one of those strange, angsty “what if?” scenarios I make up in my head at night that I still can’t believe I created into a full-fledged work. I liked the idea of Peter and Gamora having this conversation and her comforting him, but I knew if I was really going to throw it out there for other fans, it had be more balanced with happier moments, too. I just know I was always going to make the offender a woman - both because it would lead to the misunderstanding that she was a past consensual hook-up when Peter was an adult to spark some irritation and jealousy in Gamora, and because it’s realistically different from other sexual assault stories, since women can be pedophiles and child predators too, and they’re just as horrible. :(

- The fanfic idea of “Gamora accidentally starts a fire while trying to cook, and Peter falsely accuses and lashes out at Rocket” was in my head before, but there were two key differences. 1) It was the entire plot, not a light-hearted subplot in the shadows of something bigger, 2) Meredith’s letter was either fully or partially burnt as a result of the fire. By the end Gamora was going to confess it was her fault, that she was trying to surprise Peter by cooking spaghetti, and he would apologize both to her and to Rocket for losing his temper and getting so angry. I hated that idea later and found it too sad (he’s already lost the Walkman and second cassette tape, why would I want him to lose even more from his mother?), and in “Spark My Memory” (the Christmas fic I wrote for “12 Days of Starmora”) the Guardians put his mother’s letter in the photo album gift for Peter, completely safe and unharmed. I like to keep all my fanfics canon-compliant and non-contradictory from each other, so the letter is fine, no burning it.

Yet “Gamora started a fire cooking” still seemed fun to me, as I like the idea that she’s so badass and skilled and intelligent, but failed at something so domestic and simple. Kinda cute. I was so excited to insert it into this, because I think it worked on multiple levels. It’s a driving force for the plot (the reason the team go to the restaurant and they stumble upon that particular waitress), the reason Gamora was already in a bad mood during her fight with Peter, it could be used as a metaphor/comparison for Peter’s anxiety and Gamora’s guilt, it was something for the Guardians to put at a higher priority to tease and mock Gamora for while oblivious to the main story, something for Peter to just break down into giggles over once they changed the subject (because he earned a good laugh after that heartbreaking and vulnerable childhood trauma story), an excuse to give Rocket so many funny lines, an overall silly and sitcommy-style subplot to fall back on, and a sweet “victory!” for Gamora to have (sort of?) conquered by the epilogue. ^_^2: What scene did you first put down?

This is easy. I’ve written all but one (8 out of 9) of my fanfics in order, except for “Just Like Everybody Else.” So ya, I wrote the opening scene first, Baby Groot’s magic trick lesson and Peter’s oh-so-cruel “can only be seen once” deception. I needed to ease readers (and myself) into the angst and heavy shit to follow, and that cute idea had also been in the back of my mind for a while. ^_^

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PHEW, OKAY, ALL RE-TYPED! Thank you again SO MUCH for the lovely ask and wonderful questions, your actual interest and curiosity thrilled me! You see I wasn’t kidding about the incessant babbling. :P

Thank you also for the kudos you left on AO3, and take care!~