#thewriter; wishlist

[wyrdify]

@reigningsniper​ asked: Is there a thread or plot line we haven't explored that you would like to for Roy?

Ask Me Stuff | Currently accepting.

Several! I’m gonna put them in list form because that’s how my brain thinks. They’re also more just general ideas that could have multiple threads associated with them.

Exploring more stuff during Ishval. You and I talked about how Hughes essentially helped keep them both going, and I just like playing with that.

Directly after Ishval and before Ed officially became a State Alchemist. I want to see how they established their dynamic, how they started building their team, and how they both adjusted to civilian life.

This one is more fun, but Team Mustang shenanigans. It could be used to help them all build that trust with each other as well, but I also just think of what they do in their spare time. Or, you know, what they do when they should be working.

More future stuff that involves when Roy actually becomes Fuhrer. Like, what’s Riza doing? What does she want to do?

You and Shark talked about Hayate and puppies (here and here), and my brain has just been like “well where did that white dog come from?” I like to HC that Roy adopted that dog. And yes, Riza names it. Look, I like sweet and soft things, okay.

[tenevaya]

general wishlist

Canon

All the ships.

Castle Oblivion era RPs.

Conversations with Lea–good and bad.

Conversations with Org members. No plot necessary.

Early Organization days.

Folks reacting to the shit Zexion did, particularly to civilians of worlds they visited.

Ienzo actually dealing with their fear of fire.

Ienzo confronting Saïx.

Ienzo learning what happened to Ventus.

Ienzo losing control of their illusions.

Ienzo meeting Ventus again.

Reconciliation with Riku.

The shit they did as Zexion catching up with them.

Threads involving hallucinations.

Threads where characters question their morality.

AUs

ATLA/LOK.

FFVII.

FFX.

Immortal.

Keyblade Wielder!Ienzo.

Marvel.

Nobody dies.

Nort!Ienzo.

Urban fantasy.

Zexion doesn’t die in Castle Oblivion, and returns to the Organization because reasons.

[linuxgamenews]

Last Days of Lazarus new horror game holds hope for Linux

Last Days of Lazarus first person adventure looks promising for the Windows PC release and Linux too. Thanks to independent developer Darkania Works and publisher GrimTalin. The game has just been announced for Steam in 2021. Last Days of Lazarus is a new horror game coming to Steam. Which is also the vision of George Remus, Darkania Works. Who is thewriter and artist behind the critically acclaimed Gray Dawn (84% positive reviews on Steam). But only has a Windows PC release, with somewhat decent support via Proton. Taking place in a post soviet Eastern Europe. Last Days of Lazarus tells the story of a troubled man returning to his childhood home. Doing so after his mother’s death. While hoping to spend some time with his sister, Lyudmila. But as the country around him starts to fall apart, so does reality itself. And as a result, there are a series of unexplainable events of Last Days of Lazarus. These that lead him on a quest. Hopefully letting him find out more about his family’s disturbing past.

Linux release:

I'm using Unreal Engine 4 to develop the game. At the moment I'm working for the Windows version. I don't know how difficult it is to release it on Linux. But I'll certainly take a look after the launch.

Since Darkania Works is a one man studio. Prioritizing work and keeping focused on one platform until the 2021 release. But it would certainly be impressive to see the studio supporting the Linux community. Although it seems there is quite a lot riding on the games release. The use of Unreal Engine 4 should make porting easier.

Last Days of Lazarus - Official Trailer

Last Days of Lazarus is a first person adventure game with a strong story and rich visuals. Taking inspiration from the post soviet era with a Gothic vibe and supernatural elements. As the story unravels, you’ll meet questionable characters. Who also have a corrupt version of the truth that may be difficult to figure out. With a troubling past yourself, you’ll struggle not only with solving the mysteries laid upon you. But also with keeping any sliver of hope for rescue alive.

Features:

Relive the post-soviet Eastern European era in a bone-chilling setup

Experience an enthralling story that is Last Days of Lazarus. Which is about death, suffering, spirituality, and politics. Where a disturbing plot merges with unexpected twists

Follow two additional narrative paths, each with different characters, story and places to explore

Visit diverse and stunning environments inspired by the Eastern Mysticism. And the idyllic Romanian scenery. With dread and gore playing the counter balancing role

Last Days of Lazarus is currently set to release in early 2021 on Steam. The first person adventure is due to arrive on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. With Linux support looking hopeful. So be sure to Wishlist the game on Steam.

[wyrdify]

@reigningsniper​ asked: What would Roy have done if Hughes had managed to get through to tell him about the Homunculi's plot?

What If? | Currently accepting.

So many possibilities! But first, we have to consider one thing: does Hughes survive after telling Roy this, or does he still die? Because that changes things.

If Hughes Lives:

Roy still gets transferred to Central since that was gonna happen anyway, which means his team comes too.

Like hell he’ll let the Homunculi get close to his friend again (get rekt Envy).

He’d inform Ed and Al about what Hughes found as soon as they got back to Central (and he would not let them blame themselves for him getting hurt).

Work to gain more allies in Central while also weeding out corruption. He’d probably also send word to Grumman about this, and they can have that chat much sooner.

Still find ways to lure the Homunculi out into the open and/or make them screw up.

Finding out the Fuhrer is involved and a Homunculi is gonna throw him no matter what. But, if Hughes is alive, they’ll probably figure it out sooner. However, finding out about Father... that makes things tricky.

Still making himself look like the idiot, slacking, womanizing Colonel so people, including the Homunculi, underestimate him.

AKA: He’s still playing the long game while using deception to outwit his opponents. A lot less anger and recklessness.

If Hughes Still Dies:

He will do everything possible to make sure no one closes the investigation into his murder.

Still tells Ed and Al what Hughes found. However, he will probably limit their involvement to keep them out of danger. If Hughes is alive, he’ll be slightly more lenient in that regard... slightly.

Still tries to find allies in Central while also working with Grumman for long-term plans.

Basically follows canon but accelerated. Possibly more reckless as he will be more inclined to put himself in danger over anyone else (I’m so sorry, Riza).

Probably does not confront the Senior Staff unless he runs out of options.

Still plans to kill Envy, but now he knows who/what to look for.

AKA: Canon but faster.

[wyrdify]

Post-Promised Day Roy is still a mess of a human being, and, what it looks like depends on the verse, how he gets his eyesight back, and what he’s doing.

AND OOPS THIS GOT LONG, SO UNDER A READMORE IT GOES.

Like, Roy is the king of putting on a brave face to hide how absolutely fucking terrified he is. When he lost his eyesight, it was probably the most frightened he’s ever been in his life. In Brotherhood, you can hear it in his voice. In the manga, what does he do as soon as he realizes that his eyes aren’t adjusting to his surroundings, and he can’t see? He’s on the ground. He’s not moving. He’s gritting his teeth.

And he makes no attempt to use his alchemy. Not until he has Riza at his side. This is for a good reason, though, since flame alchemy requires precision when there are other parties present. Then, there’s the fact that Father disabled Amestrian alchemy.

I still wonder if Roy could’ve used his, though. That’s a theory for another time.

But again, even though he’s just lost his sight, and had a sword go through each hand, he’s still doing what he can to help. He’s helping Ed and Al come to the same conclusion that he did: that Pride sacrificed something by forcing him through the Gate. He’s telling the others how many people live in Amestris so they have an idea of how powerful Father’s Philosopher’s Stone is.

And he still deems himself useless, the thing he hates being the most. It’s why that moment between him and Riza is so dang powerful. She knows this about him. Not only that, but she is the only one outside of Roy himself who even has an idea of how flame alchemy works. He trusts her with his life.

I’ll never be over that, okay.

When the battle ends, Roy is by himself. He’s out of the way. As soon as Dr. Knox starts talking to him, though, he puts on that face. He’s grinning because of the irony that he lost his sight. When Dr. Knox tells him that he’ll be discharged because of his lack of eyesight, he’s still determined to do what he can. We don’t know if he had a plan prepared since Marcoh showed up right then, but, honestly? I don’t think he did.

He makes it look like he’s okay with giving Grumman the presidency, but, internally, I doubt he is. This is what he dedicated his life to since the end of the Ishval war. In such a short amount of time, he’s forced to give up that dream. He has to find another way. Obviously, he’s still determined to move forward, still do what he can to help others, still improve Amestris. He’s one stubborn fucker who ignores his own pain for the sake of others. In this case, he’s putting his emotional pain aside. He’s scared, probably devastated, angry, and so many other things.

I’m not a big fan of Marcoh just giving him the Philosopher’s Stone. It’s the one plot point in the story that I disagree with. Roy, with how principled he made himself, wouldn’t want to use it for himself at all. He wouldn’t want the sacrifice of others, especially Ishvalans who no longer have any agency or autonomy, be used for himself. That’s one reason why Chrissy restoring his eyesight, along with Havoc’s spine, is so incredibly important and valuable to me. That verse is just... I have so many feelings.

For Post-Promised Day Roy, I want to explore more possibilities, aka him either finding a way to restore his sight without the stone, or learning to live with being blind. I’d have to do more research into eye surgery and its history to see if that would be possible. Amestris’s medical development is a bit hard to pin down in this regard.

So, say if a certain roach lived through the Promised Day. Roy wouldn’t even try to stop him from taking that magic cough drop. He doesn’t want it for himself. Besides, he doesn’t feel like he could safely use his alchemy at all, much less on Kimblee. Which... I’d have to wonder how Kimblee would react to hearing Roy say, “I can’t use my alchemy anymore.” Or, the worse one: “I’m useless.”

I also wonder if he’d actually admit that last one to Kimblee. He’s shown weakness around Kimblee before, but this is a different level.

Sure, he could keep relying on Riza to direct him, but he wouldn’t want to do that for her. It’s limiting what she can do, and, once she’s fully healed, she can do a lot.

I have no idea where I was going with this. Basically: gimme all those Post-Promised Day threads.

[wyrdify]

sb: “Kai, do you regularly think about how to get your characters to be emotionally vulnerable with others?“ Me: “Maybe.”

I was talking to Kira yesterday about how both Ed and Roy just feel so damn much. They’ve both got a lot of emotions. Naturally, though, there’s a difference in how they deal with said emotions: Ed reacts while Roy shuts down. It got me thinking about what in the hell would make Roy cry. Like, he closes himself off so much. How could another character get him to be emotionally vulnerable without nightmares or PTSD flashbacks prompting him?

Simple: break his heart.

Roy is the sort who refuses to have his heart broken. He’s that stubborn. He refuses to give up on people, and he keeps giving them chance after chance. We see it with the Elric brothers, with Hawkeye, and with Havoc in canon. With how I’ve written him, you can see it even more with Chrissy and Solf. Over and over again, the universe keeps handing Roy reasons to give up on others and his goals. The universe tries to break his heart, and it only succeeded once before the Promised Day.

Death makes it impossible for him to not give up on Maes Hughes. There was literally nothing he could do to change the fact that his friend, his confidant, was gone. That broke his heart, and of course he tried to cover it up. He did a pretty damn good job of doing that too by shoving himself into his work and numbing himself. But, at the end of the day, losing Maes broke him in more ways than one, and he’s still running from that.

There’s another way to break his heart, and it’s also pretty simple: give him something he doesn’t think he deserves. Tell him he’s loved. Tell him you want him in your life. Tell him you think he’s a good person. Take care of him. Roy will never believe he deserves anything good like love, and he certainly doesn’t like burdening others. Giving him both will break him to the point that he won’t know what to do. He’ll even refuse it, try to dispute it. He’ll dig in his heels and outright say, “No, I don’t deserve this.”

God this man and his self-hatred.

I’ve had this mental image in my head for days now that happens Post-Promised Day when he refuses the Philosopher’s Stone. It’s just of him lying in his bed at home and refusing to leave. Depression will keep him there--never mind the overwhelming fear, the self-loathing for being useless (in his mind), and the inability to do much for himself. Remember how Ed looked when Roy met him? How lifeless he looked? That will be Roy Mustang Post-Promised Day at his most physically and emotionally vulnerable. He can only be the guy who never gives up for so long. This is his breaking point.

I have no idea where I was going with this. But yeah, more people breaking my boy’s heart please. :’)

[wyrdify]

@regnantlight​: 😳

Munday Meme | Currently accepting.

😳 ; What is something or someone you have always wanted to write with? i.e. a particular plot, a character, etc.

I’m going to pick something for each character I have on here because I can.

Ahsoka: Outside of my general desire to have that platonic family feeling with Plo Koon, I also want her to interact with the Organas more (Leia will remind her so much of Padme). I want to also see what she does after the end of Rebels--where does she go? What is she doing now that she has this second chance? What does she do when she feels Anakin die? All of these things.

Aqua: I really want to see her dealing with recovery after the big finale with Xehanort. She’s been in constant fight mode since she entered the Realm of Darkness. What is she going to do with herself after that? She’ll want to help the next generation of Keyblade wielders, but I want those around her to see she’s struggling. Also? Kairi and Aqua bonding time. Need that in my life.

Roy: Post-Promised Day content, and him refusing the Philosopher’s Stone instead of using it. Him still working to be the Fuhrer, and learning to live with this disability. Also? I really want him to meet Hohenheim, and have conversations about Ed and Al. Roy’s got some strong feelings about all of that. Another thing: I love exploring what would happen if he let himself and his morals slip. Because honestly? He is terrifying when he does.

Runa: I just want interactions with her in general. I might throw her into AUs like Kingdom Hearts or something to get her to do more. I don’t know where the Hilda RPers are at, but I’d be up for her interacting with anyone from the cast. Let her be spoopy witch who likes to help people!

Vanitas: I want to see him yank on that leash Xehanort has him on. One of the things I love about Vanitas is that he’s really only loyal to himself (and Ven to a degree). The only reason he’s still with Xehanort is because their wants align. But, the minute Vanitas realizes he’s either not going to get what he wants, or that his loyalty means jack shit, he’s not going to let that slide. I also want to explore the sort of training Xehanort put Vanitas through. The fact that Vanitas isn’t a Keyblade Master pisses him off to no end, which shows in post-KH3 interactions.

[tenevaya]

@twilighttwin: He could see Ienzo with some symbols for spells running up his forearms. Though he doesn't see them going through with it

Body Modifications | Currently accepting.

This gives me an idea.

Ienzo is well-versed in magic from the Kingdom Hearts universe. But, other areas? They’re still learning. I could absolutely see them getting tattoos with the more complicated/complex spells on their arms--to the point where there’s more ink than skin. Yes, they can memorize spells just fine, but, imagine going up against them, and you see this powerful spell tattooed on them. It instills a bit of fear into their opponents.

I kind of want to do this now. Might need to make an AU for it.

[wyrdify]

@kagomiko​: 15 !

Want Meme for the Muns | Currently accepting.

15: Describe any thread you’d like to write!

Gonna pick one for each muse because I can.

Ahsoka Tano: Anything in the time period Post Clone Wars, but pre-Rebels. I want to have Ahsoka working with Bail to build that intelligence network, and getting to know Leia. Because of course she would.

Aqua: Pre Birth by Sleep, and training with Eraqus! I want to see them build that bond, and have Aqua establish that found family with him, Terra, and Ventus.

Roy Mustang: Get him vulnerable. Physically, mentally, or both--that’s what I like seeing. He can show off his strength any time he wants, but the minute he has to rely or lean on someone else? He hates everything.

Runa: General interactions, but I’d really love to explore her witch nature.

Vanitas: I really like seeing strong characters being vulnerable. With Vanitas, I want to have a thread someday where he outright admits how much emotional pain he’s in. How torturous Xehanort’s training was. How he didn’t ask for any of this. He was created essentially for one purpose, and now he has no idea what to do with himself.