#this has given me so much motivation!!! my fics are so good they r worth copying!!!

[towerheroes]

HELPPPP ME SOMEONE COPIED MY FANFIC 💀

[yellowocaballero]

#spider-man 2099#spiderman 2099#miguel o'hara#not 2 sound like a Freak(TM) but i would sacrifice myself in combat for u op#(<-JOKING JOKING OFC OFC#BUT ALSO. YOU gET IT#difference between peter nd mig-- future boy WANTS to be a menace it is practicallymiguels M.O. of spider-manning#so many years of just. barely any fanworks that even /feature/ miguel at all (let alone Anything 2099) is Agony#the problem w/ inverting an everyman is that u end up with one VERY specific guy and that leads to like...#less Broad Appeal. less easy to project onto unless u already Very Much relate. unironically a lot of ppl ive met who r hardcore into 2099--#--(and myself included) tend to overwhelmingly skew towards ppl who really really do just. Relate.#nd it means a lot that—similarly to Good Hulk Books—sm2099 Shows that it is ultimately worth choosing to be kinder#that you Can grow up and go from victim to survivor slowly over time even though it is messy and uncomfortable and hard to get there.#even as a dude w/ spider-powers in The Future migs character is grounded and flaws nd all he STILL just. feels like a Person.#also he is a Bitch . and i love that abt him#something something. it means a surprising amount that like... one of th first au spider-ppl to have maintained a Lasting Impact—#—ISN’T at all somebody like peter. it’s the whole Point of his character.#..pardon the ramblin. my nighttime meds just Bring Forth the obsession ig#i know i prob sound Insane but look if anybody ever says Literally Anything abt my special interest i completely drop the mask .#Category 11 Autism Event

@spider-man-2o99 re your great tags under the cut:

The inevitable experience of the comic book fan is to get way too attached to a minor very unpopular character. If you are lucky the creators completely forget about them and they go inside DC Limbo (or Marvel Limbo but DC is awful for this). If you're unlucky they use the character again and completely ruin them.

Miguel is VERY MUCH a product of the 90s comics, where the point was to be a power fantasy wish fulfillment for teenage boys (esp the 2099 line - everything in 2099 was hyperspecified to be as cool to 13yos as possible lol). He's not really relatable and he's not really meant to be. He's kind of a bonkers, 90s style exaggerated character. He's kinda unusual for those characters because he's both exaggerated and given a lot of good character work. David's a pretty decent character writer (for white men.), and since he was the only writer he was able to make a really consistent, solid, tangible character who has a consistent and really interesting character arc. There was a ton of effort to think outside of the box, which David is also pretty good at. Also it's funny as hell, which David is also good at. He reminds me of bendis where if he plays to his strengths, and somehow writes spider-man exactly his strengths, he's great, lol, David has written some un-decent stuff.

I think that's why he doesn't work very well in modern day Tumblr fandom specifically lol. The characters who do well are...MCU Peter Parker, who you can just super easily project on and whose character motivations are pretty straightforwardly good, and when he does bad things they're from a consistent place of kindness (you can ID these characters from the quantity of the whump fic written with them and oh baby). Miguel really isn't universally relatable, so it's cool that you do relate to him! He's so grounded and such a Guy it makes that experience pretty powerful. I like him because I am studying him like a bug.

I found it super interesting that he got forced into the capitalistic meat grinder at such an early age. When I read that I was like "oh that's why he's so awful. He's been in an enviornment that rewarded this shitty behavior literally his entire life, and he's been groomed since a young age to put his value on his ability to perform. Miguel's a winner in the system so that's why he has so much buy-into the system and why he has a superiority/inferiority complex (from childhood abuse, which has never let him truly believe in his superiority and why he's so ridiculously compensatory about it and what lets him eventually become a hero)". Then the comic showed him as just kinda always being a dick and I was disappointed. It would have been cool to see that he was genuinely more like Peter, way closer to his value system and personality, when he was a baby, but that the capitalistic system of the dystopian 2099 just. Ground it out of him. Woulda been super cool. 2099 in my head is better. Really wish they had done that.

Gonna be real part of the reason why I liked 2099 was because it was one of the first spidey media in a while that wasn't obsessed with being spider-man lol. It was just its own story. It didn't care about Spider-Man or other superheroes, it just cared about Miguel. It didn't dictate who or what Spider-man was - that was something Miguel had to figure out himself, how to even be a decent person and what it means to help people. And despite all of that, it is still distinctly and so powerfully and entirely a Spider-Man Story. It has nothing of Spider-Man in it, it's meant to be the exact opposite, and yet it somehow REALLY feels like Spider-Man. It's practically unique at this point. And that attitude feels way more Truly Spider-Man (or the one I grew up with lol, of course that's no actual True Spider-Man) than these new stories about being Spider-Man lol.

Would you write anything with/about Spider-man 2099? 👀

This ask made me scroll back in my blog and go, “Wait did I actually write the entire manifesto on why Miguel is a communist icon because I thought I had refrained from that.”

I’m 95% sure that I did, in fact, refrain from explaining why there are only two good superhero media (The Incredible Hulk 1977 and Spider-man 2099) because they are the only two truly socialist superhero media. I must have mentioned that I fucking loved Spider-man 2099 somewhere. Because I fucking do. Miguel is THE character of all time. I love Spider-Man, I love characters who are COMPLETE DICKS, I love guys who just kinda wanna go home and sleep.

I absolutely would write something for him, I fucking love that guy. I haven’t had a really solid idea yet, one that would make a story that would get off the ground, but if the stars align then hell yeah. Miguel is the perfect superhero because he never once tries to stop anybody from robbing a bank, committing a crime, disturbing the peace, etc. He will only ever do anything helpful if it fucks over Cyberpunk Dystopia Evil Corp, because he hates them, or if his brother nags him to do something about systematic oppression. Over the course of all of Spider-Man 2099 he stops ONE mugging. Because a cop was mugging a woman. So he could beat up the cop. Character of ALL TIME.

….this isn’t a story idea but I was absolutely joking about hypothetically:

imagining one of those tepid-ass mcu spider-man fanfic where there’s a class field trip to stark industies or something and peter’s outed as Tony Stark’s Baby Son Boy, of which there are literally 500 and every one is exactly the same I don’t read mcu peter fanfic anyway

tropey fic where peter’s doing that tropey hijinky runs away from crowd of friends to hide in a broom closet and preserve his secret identity

except he just opens the door to an abandoned wet lab to see miguel electrocuting a rat or something

peter is fucking convinced dr ohara is a mad scientist stealing starktech genetic secrets. tony doesn’t listen because he thinks peters feelings are just hurt after miguel called him the saltine cracker of nepotism. miguel is, of course, stealing starktech time travel technology. meanwhile a guy in a black spider suit is firebombing the NYPD

miguel assumes that the richer and more important you are, the more evil you are. faced with involuntary time travel, he is operating under his standard MO of finding the most evil corporation in the tristate area and looking them up on glassdoor. working under this assumption, miguel assumes itll be too much work to go ahead and kill tony stark in the name of the proletariat but he does slowly sabotage their entire genetics division.

MJ threatens to break up with Peter if he tries to stop the NYPD from being firebombed

[this-is-lightning]

Supercorp FicRec P. 1

After realizing I have too many bookmarks with Kara/Lena I felt it was time to make a list of the cream of the crop. This is gonna be a series, 5 fics at a time.

Masterpost

Transcendent Interactions by IHaveTheWrongGlass

They don't know how it started.

Kara Zor-El and Lena Luthor share a special, secret bond that traverses any distance. When tragedy forces Lena to take over the family company, she seeks assurance and help in the one person that knows her the best. However, the two have never met before. 

w: 208,444

r: explicit

Lovely soulmates AU kind of. Nice investigative journalism/mystery storyline, very nice and organic relationship development, dealing with a plethora of topics in a wonderful way, lots of kryptonian lore. Not finished, but worth it. Also check out the rest of their work.

Sunlit Honey and Lavender Sunsets by wtfoctagon

Jessica Hoang takes her job very seriously. It’s odd, or uncommon, as she’s learned- people are always so surprised when she seems more loyal to Lena Luthor than the advancement of her own career. She used to think that the whole trope of secretaries selling out their bosses for personal gain existed only in bad TV shows, but, as always, she overestimates the human race.

So when Kara Danvers the reporter starts showing up more often, she’s wary and a little irritated. Yes, Lena said to let her in at any time, so she does so dutifully, but she’s seen her share of reporters and she’s not impressed with the bunch. Words are their trade, and it wouldn’t take much to motivate a reporter to twist Lena’s image around for a pretty buck. 

w: 17,089

r: general audiences

Wonderfully written (everything by this author is really). Jess gets a girlfriend and is simply very cool. Kara and Lena pine for a little while. Very cute with occasional reality checks that nicely expand on the Supergirl universe.

hold me, my dear (and don't let go) by potstickermaster

��So… How is this done?” She asks seriously, to which she replies, quite simply, “We get on the bed and we cuddle."

Lena Luthor is the last person to admit she's touch-starved, but after one hour of service from Kara Danvers, professional cuddler, she finds herself craving it. 

w: 119,415

r: teen and up

A fandom classic. Check out the rest of her work! Slowburn. Just so much fluff and cuteness. Veronica is nice in this one. There is a cute dog. And general badassery of all characters that you wish to see in canon. 

stay the night by lynnearlington

"The National City Lakehawks," Jack says. He flips the cover of the binder over. "Who is this?"

“Kara Danvers,” Lena answers. It’s the only player she can name off the team at this point and that’s only because any sort of research into the Lakehawks seems to start and end with the same girl.

The fic where Lena inherits the National City Lakehawks from her wayward brother and meets Kara Danvers, star player.

w: 222,939

r: explicit

OR

THE fandom classic. For good reason. Sports AU, no powers. They pine and are horny for each other, big time, but take a loong time to get together, so prepare for a real good slowburn. Lots of good smut.

an animal within an animal by mooosicaldreamz

Lena is on her fifth sleepless night in a row when her dear friend Jess suggests she visit a doctor for her troubles. Her suggestion is given slyly, a smirk painted on Jess’s face. This smirk has not always ended well for Lena, but she is desperate, overcome with shocking thoughts and tossing and turning, and so she accepts a recommendation: a Dr. Danvers, of Marylebone.

This moment is one she will spend her life looking back on, at times rueing and others thanking a giving and kind God for.

or, Lena is a Victorian woman with hysteria, and Kara is a kind Doctor with just the help she needs.

w: 23,994

r: explicit

This is a victorian era smut fic. Very smutty but good. But also a lot of pining and general cuteness. Lena is horny lol. 

[7-wonders]

Duncan Shepherd NSFW Alphabet

You’re welcome.

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

He’s a perfect dom. So incredibly attentive to your needs, always gentle to clean you up and make sure that you’re comfortable and in a good headspace. He’s also the king of cuddling, and yes that IS canon.


B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Sexually, Duncan’s an ass man. Don’t ask me how I know this, or what my reasoning is, but he loves your ass. Grabbing it, kneading it, keeping his hand in your back pocket in public (insert Peter K pocket spinning gif). Your ass is perfect to him, and he’ll find it a challenge to rip his gaze away if you’re in front of him.

Non-sexually (but also sexually bc it’s Duncan), he loves your lips. Making them curl into a smile is one of his favorite things to do, and he’s enraptured when you’re talking. If you’re putting makeup on, he’ll sit and watch as you expertly apply your lipstick.

Duncan’s favorite body part of himself is his arms. There’s so much that he can do with his arms, and he’d be fooling himself if he didn’t like the way his veins looked popping out on his arms. He loves when you trace them, as well as when you hold onto his arm while out in public.


C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

Come on, the man’s a breeding kink freak. He loves cumming inside of you. Period, full stop.


D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He’d love to have a threesome with you and another man, he just doesn’t know who.


E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Duncan’s pretty experienced, thanks to a number of flings in college and being labeled one of Washington’s most eligible bachelors and playboys. He knows what he’s doing, and he can make sex with you kinky, fast and rough, or slow and sensual.


F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

I can’t find a good gif :( but it’d be where he’s taking you from behind (that way he can hit you in just the right spot), but your back is to his chest and he has his hand around your throat to hold you up.


G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

Duncan’s pretty serious during sex, but he’s been known to crack a couple of jokes here and there. Typically, he leaves the humor to you.


H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

His hair down there is curlier, but he keeps himself trimmed well. It’s not an obsessive manscaping thing, but he likes to keep his entire appearance neat.


I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

Prior to you, sex for Duncan used to just be another business deal. Both parties got gratification and pleasure from this experience, and then they went their separate ways afterwards. That’s why, when you and Duncan get together, sex is so romantic for him. He wants you to know just how dedicated he is to you, and that involves constant touching and kissing, both during sex and just in everyday life.


J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Only masturbates when he’s away on extended business trips. Even then, he’s so whipped for you that he literally cannot get off without either calling you or watching one of the many photos/videos he has on his phone.


K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Breeding.

Breeding.

Breeding.

Breeding.

Also, he’s really into bondage. I read this really good Shibari fic that I need to find and reblog, but he goes absolutely crazy when he sees you in ropes.


L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Anywhere in his apartment. Seriously. The kitchen counters, the couch, the shower, the floor, the bedroom. If it’s a surface, you can bet Duncan’s gonna try and fuck you on it.

He’s also really into sex in his office, but you’ll only do that if there’s not a lot of people there or if it’s later in the evening.


M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

Anything you do turns him on. If you wear one of his shirts, or dance and sing while you’re cleaning or doing otherwise menial tasks. Getting upset when somebody cuts you off in traffic, and how you look when you’re reading a book. It’s a miracle that Duncan isn’t constantly sporting a hard-on, really.


N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Definitely no dub-con, or anything that would cause you too much pain. Just the thought of taking a knife and cutting your skin makes him so upset; he doesn’t know how people can be into that.


O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

The man LOVES going down on you. He would eat you out for hours if given the chance, and his tongue is otherworldly. 


P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He’s a mixture of both, it just really depends on the time/event.


Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

As a very passionate man, sometimes it’s impossible to wait for the “right” moment. Therefore, quickies are pretty common in your relationship. Still, the opportunity to properly seduce and bed you is far preferable to a quickie.


R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Risk is a big part of your sexual relationship with Duncan! Lots of risks (especially with the potential of getting caught having sex), as well as always being down to experiment with most kinks either of you might be interested in.


S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

2-3 rounds, if you’re going back-to-back. With breaks, there’s no telling how long Duncan can fuck you for. All night, if he’s feeling especially dedicated.  


T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Going off of the bondage kink, he has a pretty sizable rope collection. You have a couple of vibrators for the times when Duncan’s on trips, but anything else makes Duncan feel like he can’t satisfy you himself. The audacity.


U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Oh my god he teases you SO MUCH. Especially at work events or functions. Sometimes he won’t let you wear panties under an evening dress, or he’ll send you dirty text after dirty text. Duncan will absolutely take every opportunity to tease you. 


V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Duncan’s pretty quiet. A few grunts and groans, but mainly he just whispers into your ear. 


W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

You made Duncan work for the chance to have sex with you. You had heard of his reputation before, and you were not about to be another on a list of one night stands. It wasn’t the first date, and it wasn’t even the second date. After you knew that he was actually serious about you, you gave him the cues that you were down to get down.


X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

He’s about average, 5 or 6 inches. His strength lies in how thick he is. He may look like a slender guy, but our mans is packing.


Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

We’ve established that he has a super high sex drive for you. If the smallest thing you do gets him going, it’s going to be easy for him to go a couple of rounds and make sure that this was worth your while. 


Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Duncan usually doesn’t fall asleep very quickly. His mind is always moving from one task to the next and, while he’s more than happy to hold you until you fall asleep, there’s always work to be done.

//

idk I’m just tagging a couple of people @sojournmichael​ @ccodyfern​ @lvngdvns​ @langdonslove​ @moonanonwriting​ @xavierplympton​

[noctisfishing]

2020 Wrap-Up and 2021 Wishes

I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do this or not, but I decided, why not? Even though this year was pretty wild for everyone in various ways, I want to celebrate my writing progress and accomplishments, and share with you what I wish for in 2021.

I’ve already posted a similar post on Reddit, although this one has a more detailed breakdown and includes my fic titles! I won’t link any of the fics mentioned, but you can visit my FFN or AO3 pages to find them. You can also click through my Welcome Post or find them all listed here (if you’re on desktop) (*every project I talk about can be found somewhere on my Tumblr :D)

Click below for some nice Fic Stats!! (mostly wordcounts and rambling!!)

Preview: I wrote a good amount of words, got some nice progress on some long fics, churned out dozens of ficlets!! Plus: What’s on my fic mind for 2021, and a short bit about other personal wins.

Before I ramble with numbers, I think we can all agree that we should say goodbye to 2020 this way:

Now, the numbers you’ll see are close approximations to how much I’ve written this year. I’m including works that I’ve published on AO3, FFN, Tumblr, and Reddit, and also works unpublished (and will post probably next year).

So, here it is:

Total Wordcount: 107,662 words!

Dang, I wrote a lot more than I thought. I think there was one year that I wrote 200,000 in a year and I’ve always set that number as my standard. But I’m still pretty happy with this year’s number! I think I’ll make 100K my “soft goal” for 2021 given how topsy-turvy life can go but it would be awesome to hit 200K again :)

And now, we break it down:

Completed Works (54,432 words)

2 Multi-Chaptered Fics (10,353 words) 

Both happen to be Sorato! I posted the last chapter of The Sound of His Goodbye back in March (I started the fic late 2019), and I posted all of The Last One Wins towards the end of November. Both gave me reminders earlier and later on in the year that I can complete fics, haha! It’s possible!!! \o/

38 Ficlets/Scenes (19,667 words) 

“Ficlets” don’t typically have a wordcount but are generally less than 1,000 words. I’d have to say that the impact of quitting my job, moving back home, and the pandemic brought on major changes and responsibilities that I had to adapt to. Simpler, smaller scale ideas were easier on my basket case of a mind and kept me writing, and that is most likely why for most of the year my inspiration was more drawn toward different little scenes. I got to write for and explore six new fandoms outside of Digimon which is cool!

When I say “scenes,” I mean those that either didn’t fit in the (slightly) larger works I’ve published, or those for future projects (which technically shouldn’t be counted as “complete” but I had to stick them somewhere :P).

9 One-Shots (24,412 words)

Day 6 Prompt of Takari Week just barely made it to be counted as a One-Shot, but the rest in this category are all Taiora: six for Taiora Week, as well as The Princess and the Dragon, and Colors in Distance. The Color Shot was actually sitting unfinished in my drafts for a few months so I’m glad I found the motivation to finish it before the year’s end. The other fics were inspired by prompts with deadlines - this was the first year I’ve participated and completed those and I’m happy I did them! 

Works in Progress (53,230 words)

I’ve posted one new chapter each for Digital Recovery (4,770 words) and  Tsukiakari (2,292 words) and I had the hope of working more on both of these this year! But you know, this year was tough (see also why I threw so many ficlets at my readers). I had three huge ongoing longfics and I made the decision to set these aside and put my main focus on one of those so as not to overwhelm myself. These fics are mostly planned out. They just need to be written more! We’ve got a long way to go with both of these.

Just One Drink (10,131 words) was.. probably my most popular fic this year, lol. I don’t see this one being too long (I would be surprised if it goes past 50K) but I see myself continue to update this next year. ;) 

And let’s talk about The Spark of Dawn (DoreDore Adventure Part II) (24,316 words). This was my chosen longfic to focus on this year, as evidenced by the wordcount, and even the number of chapters I’ve posted - three with 10,659 words total. This fic also carried me through July’s Camp NaNoWriMo where I reached my word count goal of 12,000 words. I think two chapters from that event ended up being posted, and there are still 13,657 words’ worth of content yet to be published. Overall, I think half of this story has been written out (including the content I haven’t posted yet) but that being said, this fic remains as one of my priorities to finish before moving along to my other WIPs!

Here’s a list of the rest of my unpublished works:

Untitled Taiorato Fic (1,433 words)

More Taiora Snapshots (2,454 words)

The Girl Who Stands Out (7,834 words) - This one is a Mimato, and should show up really soon. ;)

2021 Wishes: My main wish is for me to *keep writing*!

I’m already making some pretty elaborate spreadsheets for myself to help track my personal writing and reader stats. Hopefully they help motivate me in my writing progress in 2021! 

Toward the end of the year, I felt the need to “clear out” my plot bunnies folder and realized that fics from few ideas weren’t going to be as long as I initially thought. That’s where The Last One Wins came from, as well as The Girl Who Stands Out. I think once the latter is all written out, I will work more on DoreDore and see where it goes.

I want to tackle my “Write Your Melody” prompts, because since I’ve written them I feel obligated to. XD I’m sure there will be room for more ficlets and one-shots in next year’s endeavors; while it’s ideal to work on one big longfic until it’s done, I know for a fact that I’ll need writing breaks along the way.

Other Personal Wins (Not Writing-Related): This year, left a job and living situation that took a toll on my mental health. I also started to learn R and SQL programming languages. I was asked to be a moderator of one of my favorite communities! I made new friendships and a few of my friendships grew. And I found joy and comfort in things I hadn’t been able to in years’ past. I had a fair share of rough moments this year, but looking back at my small wins gave me reminders of the good I have. <3 

If you made it to the end of this post, GO YOU. I’m optimistic that next year will bring more good things. I hope to continue remembering to take time to breathe and rest, and keep talking to my friends and loved ones. Many of my wishes are for long-term goals/projects in general, but rather than setting year-end deadlines, I want to focus on just working on them, my efforts varying between chipping away at them little by little, or hardcore-drop-everything-and-spend-the-weekend.

Anyway, thank you for reading! I wish you all the best as we head toward a new year. <3

[ontowanderlust]

How to say I love you?  (2)

A/N: Another one? Really? Gosh. Bear with me, I’ve got like six more to go. I haven’t started writing the third one so if you guys are waiting for the next one- I’m gonna be frank with you, it will take me a long time before I publish it out. I would like to give this fic to the anon who had requested a different Five Hargreeves fanfic- (I tried writing your prompt, dearie, but I just couldn’t find the inspiration to recreate the magic of the song. That, and I am not really familiar with the song itself and tried googling it but I really cannot replicate the magic.) so instead, this part is dedicated to you whoever you are, anon.

Special thanks to: @grimpower-s you are awesome and amazing and I might pop out sooner or later depending on my motivation so yup.. I love you, my beta.

One of the reasons why I haven’t posted this was because of the sucky title. Let me know if you guys have better ideas. The other reason was just I’m too lazy to post this. My betas knew that I had a name written here but I had to revert to second person since… this is tumblr. (Though, the last name is predetermined already, don’t fight me on this.) Let me know if this sucks or if you guys like it.

Also some reminders:

Five is eighteen in this fic

The apocalypse had already happened

(Spoiler) They are sent back in time

And there are some of the 43 involved in this fic- there are 16 actually. Find them all and hit me in my asks if you knew the reference of the names.

Alternatively: 7 times he confessed and the 1 time she accepted his confession / 8 ways to say I Love You

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Fem!reader

Prompt: This prompt is brought to you by R. McKinley (you write beautifully, may I just say) and @chickenshit​‘s photo edit. I did say that I’m gonna write something about this, right?

=Masterlist=

For as long as Y/N can remember Tuesdays had always been allocated as a day where she and her brother, Crutchie gets to be “special” (or so as people in their household says.)

Coming from a rich household, their mother had given them Tuesday as a time for reprieve from the whirlwind of studies from their different tutors, (seriously, why do they need to learn the 14 different uses of forks?) she and her brother would have a mock battle with each other- her, usually making her brother pause at mid-action while he retaliates by setting off a series of events at her misfortune. 

As much as she loved spending time with her brother, back then, it always felt as if Tuesdays are nothing more than the only day where she felt extraordinary and that if Tuesdays were removed, she would be… nothing more than some girl who got lucky and was born to wealth.

She hated how Tuesdays dictate her worth. She hated it so much that she had to resort to all kinds of excuses.

That is until her mother brought home the foster kid who would eventually become her big brother, Jack. 

Despite their initial distrust with each other, she learned that there is a purpose why her mother is adamant with their Tuesday routine. There is a purpose why she let her children discover what their abilities can do and make up for the loss of what the others can’t.

And right now, she couldn’t be more thankful to her mom than ever.

Throughout the years, Tuesdays with her brothers had somehow evolved with having more company- the kids she and her brothers had encountered on their run from their relatives- and their neighbors who were all born the same day as them. 

Crutchie liked to call it predetermined. Fate, if he will. She and Jack simply would scoff at their brother’s belief. Although, deep down, they all knew that having these kids make up for the space their mother had left them. In a way, they are all what they have, they are family.

When the Umbrella Academy showed up on their doorstep a few months back, she knew her twin had been right all along. (She never doubted him in his predictions. She just hated how optimistic his way of thinking is.) 

And so here they were Tuesday morning, in the middle of a massive courtyard-turned-grassy field courtesy of Katherine’s ability, about to face these superheroes. And since the Academy is massively outnumbered, Jack chose seven people from their team to battle the opposing team. 

“Heads up, mi hermano!” She heard Klaus holler at Five as she saw JoJo swooping down from above, grabbing the fifth Hargreeves child as if he weighed nothing before dropping him 30 ft from the sky.

She watched with interest as Klaus tried to levitate to save his brother, failing when Katherine touched the grass, willing some blades to transform into vines as it wrapped around the unsuspecting seance’s ankle, pulling him to the ground.

“We’re being floored,” she heard Diego deadpanned at Five as he spatial jumped back beside him. “We need a new plan.”

Five rolled his eyes as she watched him search the field for what she presumed would be the victim of this boy’s ire.

Having spent her time with them, she knew the Academy had somehow built this holier-than-thou attitude- a result of their glorified superhero days.

It’s no surprise that their hubris is their downfall and her family have no qualms in kicking their sorry asses.

Good. She scoffed inwardly. Someone has to teach them some humility. She thought as she absentmindedly reached up to steal Henry’s popcorn, ignoring his protests as her attention went back to the battle in front of her. 

Her family had adopted the strategy of keeping the Academy from each other while they keep themselves open to assist their own should the need arise.

Davey is managing on his own after he had borrowed Vanya’s ability, facing her by himself as he isolated her from her siblings, Katherine and JoJo teaming up to confuse Klaus and Diego, messing with them, Mush steeling himself well against Luther’s strength while Elmer and Romeo are fighting off Allison and Ben side by side. Crutchie, on the other hand, is providing all the assistance from every corner, setting off one series of unfortunate events to another, simply cast on the side as an open target.

Apparently, Five is thinking the same thing as her as she saw his gaze fell upon her twin, his fists started to glow blue.

She stood up abruptly, startling Race who was using her shoulder to sleep on, jumping off the bleachers (graciously provided by Katherine, “for your entertainment, losers”) prompting the rest to ask where she’s going. 

“He’s going after Crutchie!” she called over her shoulder, eyes locked onto Five’s running figure, trying to concentrate on him in order to slow him down. 

“Y/N, get back here!” She heard Jack yell but she had already entered the field, running as fast as she can, barely dodging JoJo as she shook her head, irritated at her lack of control over her ability.

Just as she ran past Elmer, she vaguely heard his panicked tone, voicing his worries to Romeo. 

“Time out!” Romeo yelled, stretching his arm as he wrapped it around Allison and Ben, easily trapping them. “Time out, Jack! Elmer’s lost control of his portal!”

What.

Too late now. She thought as strings of profanities left her lips. True to Romeo’s statement, Elmer’s portals had been emerging from different places and so she used her momentum, dodging the stray portals, her eyes searching for the spatial jumping boy, not noticing the portal that appeared beneath her feet. 

Having grown up alongside Elmer, there wasn’t a Tuesday where she hadn’t accidentally gotten sucked into his portal so why would this Tuesday any be of different?

Perhaps, the fact that she entered the void, momentarily disorienting her as she fell from above, her arms outstretched in order to brace herself, instead she found her hands colliding with a body part- a shoulder? She’s certain it was a shoulder since arms immediately wrapped around her waist as the person braced for the impact.

She couldn’t be any more grateful at Katherine for making today’s landscape a grassy field as the grass soften the impact of collision of the back of the person who had grabbed her to the ground while her knees were the ones that caught her weight, accidentally straddling the person.

Y/N couldn’t care any less for the pain that is engulfing her.

She shouldn’t care except… because of the force from the gravity, her head had collided with the person’s face, her lips effectively planting exactly on the person’s lips.

What the fuck.

Instinctively, she pulled away faster than she could utter a profanity, glancing down as apology is ready to leave her lips.

Only, the apology died as her eyes widened at the sight of the boy she is seeking out, sprawled beneath her, groaning in pain.

What the fuck.

She opened her mouth, about to sputter out apologies- anything to save face- when Five’s eyes creaked open, his face morphing into quick panic as his arms around her waist tightened before flipping them both easily, shielding her as stray objects that entered the portals (stray branches, small pebbles, handful of dirt) rained upon them. 

The vague smell of coffee overwhelmed her senses as she opened her eyes only for her breath to hitch as her eyes met the bluest pair of eyes she had ever seen. 

Time slowed down as flicker of blue lights enveloped the two of them momentarily. Is it even possible for someone to possess such fascinating eyes? She wondered silently as conflicted expression graced Five’s face before leaning down, softly brushing his lips against hers before fully capturing her lips.

Have I mentioned what the fuck already?

She is vaguely aware of her surroundings, the blue lights flaring for a bit as time alternated on freezing or slowing down everything around them and yet, that didn’t stop the warmth spreading on her ears, her hands tapping slightly on the grass as she could feel his lips moving against hers as if he was muttering something.

If she weren’t the type to pay attention to the littlest detail, she might’ve missed it but surely, the stoic Five Hargreeves hadn’t muttered those three words on her mouth now, would he?

[skywalkersapprentice]

mdzs novel review

Now that we’re in quarantine and I have an infinite amount of time on my hands, why not read a novel that’s 500k, right?

(Spoilers ahead.)

I totally fucked up my sleeping schedule by staying up for three nights in a row and sleeping four hours in the afternoon while reading it. worth it, though. Despite a few flaws that tripped me up close to the end, Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) was a gorgeous story. Kudos to the translators for giving it to us in English.

I’ll start off by saying that this story is not for the faint of heart. The main character has very grey morals. There is self-cannibalism, gore, period-typical homophobia, corpses come to life, mentions of rape, incest, sexual content, straight up dubcon and disturbing themes all the way through. If I’d seen this tagged as such on Ao3, I definitely would have left it alone. Despite all this, there’s also some truly wonderful characters, a plot unlike anything I’ve ever read before, subtle pining, fantastic worldbuilding, magical music, found families, and!! canonly lgbt characters that get to experience all of this things in the one hundred goddamn chapters it takes for them to get together.

The Good:

Wei Wuxian. One of the most interesting characters I’ve ever encountered. How can one be so good, so happy, so giving, yet so incredibly fucking annoying? He’s so clever, but also a moron. He’s selfless, but only in regards to things and people he cares about. He has an absolutely terrible memory (god me too) and knows how to get under everyone’s skin and has killed literal thousands of people and also. He is my son. If I knew him in real life I think he wouldn’t have survived long enough to become the Yiling Patriarch but in fiction he is wonderful.

The plot: Look. This novel is longer than the first four Harry Potter books combined. You can almost think of it as two books- one set in the past, one set sixteen years later. But although it’s the longest book I’ve ever read, it never really felt boring. It was definitely confusing at times (I’ve never had to take notes on a novel before to keep everything straight in my head) but I wasn’t bored. Things just keep happening- Wei Wuxian is back from the dead!! Now there’s a creepy hand!! Now there’s a statue that can move!! Now we’re in the past!! Now we’re back in the present and there’s a castle that eats people!! Now we’re in a ghost city and there’s some freaky stuff going down!! Time for the saddest flashback of all time, and now we’re starting to put the puzzle of this dismembered person together!! All of this is interspersed with worldbuilding and character dynamics and creating a full picture of the past and- whew. It was so hard to tear myself away to sleep or eat because I just wanted to know- what’s going to happen next? 

The love story: Hello, slowest of burns in the entire fucking world. I live for the enemies-to-friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-what-are-we-to-lovers love story that this book gave me. Lan Wangji, you poor emotionally repressed disaster gay. Wei Wuxian, you blind oblivious moronic disaster bi. Somehow, they’re perfect for each other. I was really, really hesitant to read this book because I know it has roots in that specific straight-girl-writes-gay-men type of culture that is often terrible and fetishistic. There were definitely things that I disagreed with that that I’ll talk about later, but largely, stereotypes were avoided and I have to give the author credit for this relationship that managed to be so many things. I relate heavily to the type of person Lan Wangji is, and I adored watching him fall for Wei Wuxian, through Wei Wuxian’s eyes, without either of them really even realizing it. They’re the definition of what I like to call a “Red and Blue couple”- the opposites, the fire and ice, the calm and the wild, the dark and the light, the red and the blue, who complement one another so well despite being so different. They balanced each other out wonderfully. Don’t talk to me about the WangXian song or the fact that they have a child or I will start crying.

Lan Wangji: Though I love Wei Wuxian, annoying traits and all, Lan Wangji is who I heavily resonated with. He kind of reminds me of Else from Frozen?? Anyone else?? Like, his whole thing is basically “conceal don’t feel”, except what he’s concealing is the fact that he feels things so deeply. He just wants to help people, to be essentially perfect at what he does (scooby doo villian voice: and he would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for wei wuxian) His character development from the past to present was lovely. I silently cheered for him whenever he broke the rules, or let the strict facade down for a bit. 

The side characters: Literally how are there so many characters in this book who are so fleshed out that they feel like real people? Xiao XingChen, Lan SiZhui, Wen Ning, Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng and Jiang LanYi all especially stood out to me, but even beyond them, everyone had a fully explained reason and motivation for like, everything they did. Even if I hated the villains, they weren’t needlessly evil. We love a grey story.

But there were some things I didn’t like.

The Bad

The R rated stuff: Well. This is probably the weirdest critique I’ve ever had to make about a book, and maybe some of it was partly due to translation, but... the sex was out of character. I thought the general dynamic made no sense for the two of them as people and it just.... wasn’t super well written? Thankfully I was warned beforehand that the Incense Burner chapters contained content I wasn’t prepared to read, but yikes, I felt like I was reading about two different characters the second clothes started coming off. I haven’t finished the bonus chapters for this reason. The second I read the word “rape”, I had to stop. Consent is a pretty hard line for me, and I can’t do a dubcon kink. Obviously the author can do whatever the hell she wants with her characters, but I felt like she threw away their personalities for the sake of trying to write something hot (which- it wasn’t.) This is why straight people have no rights and also why I will be pretending those scenes don’t exist. 

The Hatred Chapters: I do feel like all of the tension and action was sort of- let down at what was supposed to be the climactic showdown in the temple. It dragged on for so many chapters that I didn’t feel on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next.That could also be due to translation. I’m not sure. Maybe I need to read the Hatred chapters again. But I did feel sort of let down in the final 20 chapters of this novel. It wasn’t enough to seriously impact how much I love the general concept, but it was disappointing.

Semi related but after 100 chapter build up, that confession could have been better. Again- maybe a translation thing.

The Nie MingJue backstory flashback: just- honestly wasn’t interesting to me. It was the only part of the novel that I really had to slog through. 

Lastly - this isn’t the novel’s fault, and I am certainly grateful to the translators for all of their work translating this gigantic novel, but there were some consistent grammatical issues surrounding the dialogue tags that bugged me. I’m not sure how it is in Chinese, but in English, writing “Wei WuXian, “Nothing.””  just- isn’t correct. At the very least, you need a verb like “said”. I usually read fast enough that my brain tends to insert the word even if it’s not there, but when reading slowly, this did frequently jar me out of the story. I’d be willing to edit the entire novel just to fix these errors. But it says a lot about how good this novel is that I continued reading despite errors like this because something like that in a fic would have me closing the tab immediately.

Alright, that’s all. 

Overall:

There are so many small things, little moments and lines that I loved about this story, it would take me days to list them all. The dialogue patterns from character to character were distinct. Things like the forehead ribbon were endlessly entertaining. Side plots like the A-Qing one had me in tears and I was laughing a few chapters late from drunk LWJ. The novel was just fun to read. There were errors, yes, there were disappointments, sure. But it made me feel so much. I’ve been through the entire range of human emotion while reading it, and it’s so rare to find a book that just yanks you into the universe like this one did to me. I really needed an escape this week, and this was absolutely a welcome one. If I go read it again, I’m sure I’ll find a hundred more things I like about it. Heed the warnings I’ve given, if you read it, but I absolutely adored most of this book and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

9/10.

[anthropologicalhands]

R/N for the shipping meme

You mean the ship that has taken over my life for the last 10months?

Yeah I didn’t see this one coming either. And because I tend tobottle up my feelings and just write fic instead of talking about them, you aregetting an essay, my good friend.

I am a huge fan of opposite-attract pairings – the friction issuper fun and usually there is banter and comedic sexual tension. So Rebecca/Nathanielkind of breaks this mold for me. While they do have banter and sexual tension,the appeal comes from how similar they are. They were both raised in well-to-do/wealthyfamilies with dysfunctional parents and extremely high expectations, and whilethey are both intellectually capable and driven for success, it has had a verynegative impact on them as people and where they get their self-worth—they’ve puta lot of value on appearances and how other people perceive them. Nathaniel isa prime example of toxic masculinity to his own detriment and nearly all of hishumiliations and not-great behaviors can be traced to his very rigid ideasabout what it means to be a man, instead of accepting weakness andvulnerability and learning to work through and around it. Rebecca meanwhile, equatedromantic love with fixing all of her problems instead of working on her mentalhealth once she got a competent therapist (prior to leaving a job that was destroyingher on the inside, her previous experiences at getting medical help have notgone great) and thus plot ensued.

Reasons I love them:

They are aware of how attracted to each other the other personis. One of the fun parts of these two is that there is never really a questionthat they find each other attractive –they do, it’s just that their situationsmake the whole thing deeply inappropriate/a bad idea for many, many reasons.And that’s nice. Denial of attraction is still a super fun trope, don’t get mewrong, but something about this is just very refreshing to work with.

Both of them are willing to be vulnerable with each other abouthow they feel. And for two people who lie to themselves pretty consistently, it’sgood to see!

…They need to work on doing this more often, but it’s a start.

Rebecca doesn’t try to change for Nathaniel. Nathaniel isintroduced as the enemy of not only Rebecca but to her friends at large, andRebecca never alters her behavior or tries to alter her behavior to conform tothe ways she thinks he would expect her to behave. Rebecca actively would laughherself sick at the idea of ever doing that for Nathaniel. On Nathaniel’s side,the thing that makes him like Rebecca is her Rebecca-ness. They make fun of thefact that he’s misinterpreted Rebecca and is getting a manic pixie dream girlvibe from her, but then he also gets actively disabused of that notion thatRebecca is just ‘quirky’, as opposed to having deep-seated issues.

Finally, I just like watching them interact, positively or not, theyhave a chemistry that really works for me. The showrunners do talk about howRebecca’s different relationships show different aspects of who she is, and forR/N they described their dynamic as being very raw, which is what makes some oftheir moments very sweet, and given how much time Rebecca spends trying to fitinto someone else’s ideal, that makes them very appealing to me.

(andfor the record, I will fight anyone who says that Rebecca did not have genuinereasons to like Josh, even though other factors are what’s pushing her topursue him so hard, because the boy is legitimately kind and affirming andpositive as a person and having people like that in your life in the rightcapacity is an amazing thing. That being said, they are VERY poorly matched interms of values and interests and expectations and theyboth had a lot of growing to do to even have had a healthy short-termrelationship)

So, to sum up, as a ship, I love them and their messiness,and exploring how they got to their mindsets, how they view each other, and thepossible ways they might get some insights on how to not only make their ownrelationships work, but also how they perceive their own behaviors if theywould just sit and talk. I’ve written way more fic than I ever expected to,pretty much entirely within canon constraints, and am still ridiculouslypleased that I actually wrote a soulmate au that did what I wanted it to do.

That being said, I’m also kind of uneasy, because whilewatching any show with an eye towards a shipping endgame is not a great idea,it’s a particularly bad idea for this one. The creators very much writeromantic beats with an eye towards having the audience fall for them, only toturn them on their head. And they have actively referenced Nathaniel as being verylike Rebecca was circa season one, which means HEAVY denial that he has issues.Which—hey, is part of what made their dynamic appeal to me in the first place!

On the other hand, I am pushing out stories as fast asI can right now so that I don’t have to worry about losing motivation with my existingprojects once season 4 rolls around, because I am 100% convinced that thewriters are going to implode the idea of their relationship so that they canmove on with other things. And if we go by the pattern set by Rebecca’s lasttwo relationships and add the fact that because he’s the most like Rebecca(while not yet having the same self-awareness), Nathaniel is prone to extremebehavior, there is a good chance that the fallout will be…spectacular.

Granted, the show is overall very optimistic andempathetic for its main cast, even when it doesn’t agree with their actions, soI’m assuming that even with the fallout, all of the main characters will have fittinghappy endings, and if the story events still allows R/N to interact positively,I’ll just keep doing my thing. If not, I’ll probably still do my thing anyway froma new angle or in an alternate reality. But I’m not entirely sure how it willgo, so it will definitely be an emotional roller coaster.

…And then there is another side of it. The fandom forCEG is tiny, and while I’ve still carved out a fun bubble to hang out in, I do getannoyed-to-actively-angry about being made to feel embarrassed about shipping,and specifically, that I as a viewer am completely missing the point of theshow by having a ship I fangirl over. And then I feel ridiculous getting angry.Especially because no one that I can see is sending hate or mistagging, sothere’s none of that nastiness like you see in large fandoms, which is a goodthing.

But it’s just…I don’t know. I feel like every time Itry to go outside my bubble, I keep running into a ton ofpassive-aggressiveness about shipping for CEG in general (or the r/n ship inparticular) that just misses the point of why people do it. It’s notomg-they-must-be-together-or-the-show-sux kind of thing (I feel like prettymuch all fans are aware that it’s not about the guys). It’s just fun, it caughtme in the lizard brain, and I keep thinking of stories and conversations that Iwant these characters to have. And due to the nature of this show, I don’t wantto speculate too much because given how the creators like to plot, thesespeculations are likely to be wrong and I don’t want to get too attached tothem. So what do I do? Go into the dynamics that compel me.

Good god what is this.

[pastelbatfandoms]

Harry & Renee West Wells Tarot Readings

For My OC,Joe West’s Adopted daughter, and Harrison ‘Harry’ Wells.  >>My ‘Wells of Hearts’ Fic Masterlist. <<

...1.........

..4..2....3..5...

......6....7.....

......8.10.9.....

 First Meeting Spread

1. Overall environment/tone of 1st meeting. - 9 of Wands R 

2. My first impressions of him- Amaterasu (Shadow)

3. His first impressions of you- Lugh (Shadow)

4. What I like about him- The Muses (Inspiration)

5. What he likes about me- Thoth (Shadow)

6. My dislikes of him- Brigid (Shadow)

7. His dislikes of me- Green Man (Shadow)

8. How I will feel at the end of 1st meeting- Baba Yaga (Authenticity)

9. How he will feel at the end of 1st meeting- Hermes (Shadow)

10. What relationship will become/tone that 1st meeting set for relationship- Justice (Balance)

 Relationship Spread

********7***********8********

****1***2***3***4***5***6****

********9***********10*******

********11**********12*******

********13****15****14*******

 1) What you (Renee) are bringing into the relationship- 4 of Wands (Security, Commitment, happiness, Marriage) 

2) Where you are now, in relation to the other person- 10 of Wands (This probably has to do with when Harry tried to “out think The Thinker” using his helmet and ended up losing his intelligence which he kept a secret from Renee.) 

3) What you are hoping to get from the relationship- 7 of Swords R (Free from secrets and negativity)

4) What the other person (Harry) is bringing into their relationship with you- 8 of Wands R (Obstacles, frustration, within himself,but yet wanting to hold onto the relationship.) 

5) What they are getting out of it- The Hierophant R (Freedom, “ The reversed Hierophant encourages you to examine ‘the way we do things around here’ and ask yourself whether it aligns with your values. “ Yeah this definitely feels like the season with The Thinker.)

6) What they are hoping to achieve/experience with you- Page of Pentacles R (Again him trying and failing with the intelligence booster. Needing help but not asking for it,needs to be more open minded and learn from his mistakes.) 

7) How you see the other person- Knight of Pentacles R (Workaholic,needs to go out every once in awhile,wants them to be a team in more then just relationship wise. Be more spontaneous.)

8) How they see you- Strength R (Confident and an inner strength and self worth that even she doesn’t see.) 

9) How you saw him/her when you first met- The World (Highly intelligent,confiedent,wise,reliable,full of life experience,A teacher or mentor figure.)

10) How the other person saw you on your first meeting- Fool R (Immature,sad,negative.) Told you they weren’t great first meeting. But Harry was also negative att too over Zoom kidnapping his daughter,and Renee was still getting over losing Thawne and then joining her The Rogues as a villian.)

11) Your own anxieties/unconscious fears- Justice R (Feeling overly shameful from what she did as Obsidian Storm with The Rogues, being too hard on herself, also may hold onto some prejudice or fears towards Harry because he looks like EoWells.) 

12) The other person's anxieties/unconscious fears- Ace of Wands R (Feeling stuck,un motivated and frustrated over delays in helping Jesse I assume.)

13) External influences upon you- The Emperor (Tradition also has it that the father figure in his upright aspect,  will selflessly give of his life for his family who will automatically run to him when in danger or peril. He will offer himself up in their stead or put himself in the firing line to protect one of his own.  He will shield his family from upsetting and worrying issues and deal with unsavory tasks during times of trauma and strife.  He must protect the family at all costs.  As a result, The Emperor demands certain privileges, status, respect and attention.  The Emperor has the responsibility of maintaining order in life, protecting and defending his realm, kith and kin, upholding the laws of the land and maintaining social stability. 

On the surface The Emperor appears quite unapproachable and a force to be reckoned with.  He doesn’t soften much inside. However, he is known to be fair and just, and many can benefit from the advice he has to offer.- If that isn’t Joe West! Who is her adoptive father and did not trust Harry in the beginning.) 

14) External influences upon the other person- The Magician ( He is behind every invention and scientific discovery.  His knowledge is vast. He has travelled the world over and over and is an expert on each land and culture. In his negative or reversed aspect he can abuse his great intelligence and gifts by becoming the trickster, or con man. Instead of upholding the law, he can break or bend it.  His may use his brilliant mind to invent weapons of mass destruction and his scientific discoveries may cause more harm than good.  Such intelligence and power in the wrong hands make the reversed or negative Magician highly dangerous.  In this state he believes the Power comes from him and not through him. - That HAS to be Thawne. I mean he did create the negative speed force.) 

15) Where the relationship will go- Death with 8 of pentacles & queen of swords (Unfornutaly Death is literal in this case... A deeply committed, stable relationship after all is said an done, financially secure but needs to work on balancing work and love. With the Queen of Swords  She does seek love but can sometimes prefer a meeting of the minds rather than a meeting of the bodies.  She is affectionate in her own way, but not in a mushy manner and certainly not in public.  She prefers a no-nonsense type of relationship based on mutual interests and intellectual equality. 

She needs a man whose intelligence and knowledge fascinates and inspires her; a man who is highly qualified and knows what he is talking about.  A man she can learn much from and who will provide a constant stream of intellectual stimulation and in-depth conversation. -Sounds like Harry will be perfect!)

Numerology Number: 2 (A choice between two alternatives or dualities. (So Earth 1 and 2 or Harry and Thawne,or another Wells,or maybe choosing between herself and her “Villainess alter ego”?) 

 Possibilities Spread (Future Story)

..................8.............

..................7.............

.....6-C1.............6-C1...

4-C1...5-C1.....5-C2...4-C2

...................3....................

.....1-C1.............1-C2...

 This spread is a double spread. It is where each will take you next in your book. Each side will be for the character you designate it for. Myself, I would use the left for the female and the right for the male. 

1-C1. Significator Card for Character One (C1)- The Star With 2 of wands R

1-C2. Significator Card for Character Two (C2)- The 10 of Pentacles With The Chariot R

3. Situation: This card will reveal the situation they are about to face.- Ace of Pentacles With The Devil R

4. Character's outer response to situation. This is how they seem to feel about it.- Renee-The Empress With The 9 of swords R & Harry- Queen of Cups with 5 of Cups R. (Upset and scared at first but then embraces her destiny and prepares to fight. Queen of Cups reminds me of Caitlin yet the 5 of cups deals with loss and grief...I really hope she doesn't die! Either that or Harry sees aspects of Caitlin in Renee and has to comes to terms with the fact he may never see her physically again. )

5. Character's inner response to situation. This is how they feel about it or how it makes them feel. -Renee- Page of swords With 4 of Wands & Harry- The Tower R With Knight of wands.  (To think before she speaks,has a tendency to say whatever's on her mind,back up her feelings,Fight injustice (which makes sense given she's a Vigilante) a time of contend mess will come after the battle,a time to take a break and appreciate the moment of stability after the upheaval. While Harry is picking up the peices and trying to rebuild not only there relationship but there home as well,Wants to be more adventurous and travel (or could indicate his traveling from one Earth to the next) is still a leader and has big plans for rebuilding his business.)

6. Character's response to the other character's outer response. How does his reaction affect her? How does hers affect him? Harry's Reaction- Wheel of Fortune with The page of cups R. Renee's reaction- 2 of cups with 6 of cups R.

7. Where does this move the plot?- Strength and 8 of cups R

8. Situation: This card will reveal the situation they are about to face. (if you want to use this to plot the book out, you simply repeat the layout.)"- Temperance with King of Pentacles.

 Potentional Relationship Spread: 

As you can see there are two sides - One for you and one for the other person in the relationship.

 ....You.........Them....

....Side..........Side.....

*******1********

***2*******6****

***************

***3*******7****

***************

***4*******8****

***************

***5*******9****

***************

*******10*******

***************

*******11*******

 Placements:

1. Where is the relationship at the moment - 8 of Pentacles (Strong, committed, faithful and loyal. But also need to work on those workaholic tendencies ahem..Harry. )

Your Side: Renee

2. Clarity - What is the seekers current outlook/status/feelings concerning the relationship.- The Fool & White Buffalo Maiden (Shadow) (Optimism, Clarity & Hope. Taking their relationship to the next level.) 

3. What does the seeker need to take into consideration concerning the relationship - regarding the other person.- King of Wands & Rihannon (Self Trust) (Make sure that communication, trust and respect are a focal point and not just the romance.) 

4. What does the seeker need or desire now.- The World & Baba Yaga (Shadow) (Fulfillment, balance and unison) 

5. Best Near Future Action advice at this time.- 5 of Swords & Bridgid (Shadow) ( Disagreements and separation- Renee does leave Harry to go back to Earth 1 when she thinks he had changed too much and they had grown apart-  On another level, the gloating main Figure in this card could be responsible for breaking up or interfering in your relationship.  This is the archetypal third person in a relationship who sets out to turn one against the other and then collect the spoils or a spiteful person who is jealous and envious of your happiness. - Alright well turns out that was Eobard’s fault by using Nora to push them away from one another when they were dealing with The Thinker. 

Path Number: 3 (Will she embrace her duty or fight it? Conflicting ideals or wordly concerns)

Their Side: Harry

2. Clarity - the other persons current outlook/status/feelings about the relationship.- 2 of Wands & Ull (Shadow) ( being impulsive,not in a good way,wanting to be with them but not at the same time,miscommunication, detached.)

7.What does the other person need to take into consideration about the relationship.- 5 of Cups R & Au Puch (Light) (A positive outlook,to forgive and forget,put the past behind them, reconciliation.) 

8. What does the other person need or desire now.- The Chariot & Apollo (Inguiry) ( Reconcilliation, to use his reasoning and logic to calmly look at the situation and fix it, keeping his emotions under control)

9. Near Future Action/s of the person.- 8 of Cups & Helios (Shadow) (Well this got sad...Although I know the outcome and it gets good again for awhile) 

Path Number: 4 (Logical reasoning,new ideas,Organized)

10. Relationship Near Future Outcome.- Wheel of Fortune 

11. Clarifying card: Conclusion. - 9 of Cups (See they get back together. Harry welcomes Renee back with open arms.   Along with romance, mutual respect and communication, regular physical contact with your partner will seal the bond on a strong relationship. )

The 11th card can be used to contain one further question on the situation, and can reamin as an 'Open Question' card from the seeker.

Numerology Number: 8 (balance,unity,renewed energy)

 Possibilities Spread (For middle of story)

-----------8------------

----7-----------7------

4---6-- 5---4---6---5

--2---3-------2---3---

----1-----------1-------

 HER HIM

I lay the female out on the left hand side and the male out on the right side to equate the polarity of energy and the receptivity of the feminine energy and the projectivity of the masculine energy.

This spread is a double spread. Both sides are read the same way. The eighth card is for both. It is where each will take you next in your book. You can use it or not use it as you see fit.

1. Possible next move- Renee- 2 of Wands R & Ix Chel (Release).  While The Upright Two of Wands can suggest the sudden departure of someone, when it Reverses there may be the sudden arrival of someone, especially from overseas. (or another Earth...) They may turn up out of the blue causing a great surprise to all. -I wonder who that could be! “Renee West meet Dr. Harrison Wells,from  Earth 2.” 

Harry-Ace of Wands & Thor (Shadow)  New experiences – Forcing you out of the comfort zone where you may have stayed too long.  Travel/A change of scenery – Moving out of your territory to explore new worlds and life. You are prepared to physically relocate or travel. Your own world has begun to close in around you. (Remember this reading is Season 2 Harry.)  The Ace of Wands often appears when you are making a stand or asserting yourself. This sometimes takes a lot of courage. Depending on its position in your spread, it could be highlighting the need to make a stand if you have been fearful or afraid to express yourself. You are being asked not to hold back in this instant. This does not mean you go in all guns blazing either. Just show your strength, declare your stance on the matter and fight for what you believe in. (Dealing with Zoom and getting his daughter back.)  The situation might be calling on you to be direct and candid in your dealings with people. You will gain more respect if you are honest and straightforward from the outset. (Telling Team Flash the truth about “working with” Zoom.) MAKE YOUR MOVE.  In a relationship reading, The Ace of Wands would suggest the physical start of a new relationship or someone met while travelling or connected to travel. (Renee...) 

2. How her own decision affects her- 3 of Cups & Yemaya (Shadow). (His decision affects her) Knight of Pentacles. (Letting go of her fears and living life,girls night out, The Three of Cups often turns up in readings at Christmas and holiday time. (So we know when this happens,S2 E9)  If there has been a separation or falling out between partners the Three of Cups can symbolize a happy re-union. (Could mean Leonard Snart but their reunion would just be platonic,maybe flirty) 

He may spend quite a bit of time getting to know your personality from a distance. He likes to be sure about who he is getting involved with. It is quite likely this Knight will approach his love interest on a friendship basis initially. He might be part of a circle of friends or work together.  (If this isn’t them! Also this sounds like something Harry would do.)  His impression of you will build over time.  Only then will it slowly dawn on him that he is drawn to you. From there his interest ignites. He will begin to see you in a new light and subtly pay better attention. At this stage, he will have learned quite a lot about you; your personality, intellect, your values, your ambition and personal goals, your work ethic, your personal style, your behavior, humor and attitude to life. He will likely have some knowledge of your background too. Although You may feel he has no interest in you at all at first and that you’re wasting your time. Don’t give up on this Knight too soon as he is not being rude, just moving at a different speed to other Knights you may have encountered in the past. Patience is required. This Knight is worth waiting for so give him a chance to come round.

3. How it affects him.- 4 of swords & Mithra (Sacrifice) (her decision affects him) 5 of swords (Mentally stressed and overwhelmed by a particular situation (Zoom) Needing to heal from a broken relationship or loss of a loved one. (His Wife :’( ) Making to many sacrifices. 

Letting go and speaking up,not letting the past control how he feels towards Renee,but choosing his words carefully around her,something he normally doesn’t do.) 

4. What makes her do this- The Tower & Amaterasu (Shadow) (in regards to Harry) Five of wands (When everything falls apart she must build herself up.) 

In a Relationship spread the Five of Wands indicates a fiery relationship. Both partners are kept on their toes with great competitiveness within the relationship. This couple has few commonalities. They may live separate lives, each with their own friends and interests.  This does not mean the relationship is bad or wrong for the Wands people depicted in this card cherish their freedom and individuality. Arguments could turn into make up sex or sex together for the first time,after a heated debate or different view points. 

5. What makes him do this- Strength R & Osiris (Renewel) (in regards to her) The Emperor R (His own inner strength and stubbornness.) In regards to Renee ( When it comes to relationships, The Emperor Reversed needs a strong woman to look after him and in a relationship it will certainly be his partner who wears the pants. On the outside it may look like he is in charge but this will most certainly not be the case. This also could be because he is caught off guard and ashamed over what he had to do to save his Daughter.) 

6. Why does this happen? Renee- 10 of Swords & The Muses Harry- 7 of Swords & Apollo (Involves Reverse Flash and Zoom so I don’t think I need to rehash the same things lol) 

7. Outcome for this possibility- Renee-The Moon R & Baba Yaga (Authenticity) 

The Moon Reversed acknowledges your fears about setting out on a new journey in your life.  She reminds you that it is very necessary that you make this journey now regardless of how afraid you might feel.  Your future lies elsewhere so you should try to put the past behind you and move on.

The Moon Reversed can suggest that you are not tuning into your intuition.  You may be blocking messages coming through from within preferring to use your logic instead to sort your problems. (Hmm that could be because she is literally blocking her powers.)  

Harry- Temperence & Nuada (Perfection) 

Teaching or learning and a strong card for travel. Success will be achieved by maintaining a strong sense of purpose and approaching the situation in a balanced manner. You must always keep your eye on the bigger picture and not be lured into actions that are counterproductive to your spiritual growth and personal development. It is a time to be very aware of what you have just gone through and why. 

There is often a strong spiritual connection or karmic link between partners when Temperance appears in a relationship reading.  You may be old souls re-uniting, or have strong bonds from previous lifetimes.  (Or Doppelgangers of past loves...) 

8. Clarification Card. Renee-Bridgid (Healing) Harry- Odin-(Guidance) Both- Page of Pentacles.

Then again he will choose a partner who will be happy to support him or work alongside him during his climb to success. His partner, may also be making their own individual climb to the top which will again yield excellent results. “We’re a team,right?” The Page of Pentacles will seek long-term security in a relationship from a young age. The Page of Pentacles often meets his ideal partner at an early stage, and more than likely through college or work because that is where he or she spends most of their time. 

Numerology Number- 3 (Completion, making way for the new,destiny. 

[bexical]

July

Rather late, I know - I started this post on the first of the month actually, but it took some time and I got sidetracked by a variety of things. At least I’m here now :P

To briefly summarize the previous month’s progress: as expected, draft 0 is not complete, but I’m not too concerned. I do want to note my writing experiences this past month, particularly one rather intense session: I immersed myself in my character in order to capture her feelings, and as a result I was actually on the verge of tears for a significant amount of time while writing that scene.

Looking forward though, my goal is still hopefully to finish draft 1 of “Ghost of a Fireflower” by the end of August. It’s unlikely that I’ll finish draft 0 by the end of July, but I’ll do my best. Unfortunately, I think that means being a little less social for some time perhaps, but if that’s what has to happen, so be it.

Either way though, I want to take a little break between “Ghost of a Fireflower” and before “Birth of a Dragon”. While this is partly to give myself some time to develop the third part, I also need to spend some time on other writing-related things to refresh my excitement about writing in general. I'll spend some time on portraits and landscapes (an idea I had where I take a particular picture and write a scene from it) and more flash fic (I still want to make a final edit of “Blue”). I'll also likely spend some time practicing editing on r/DestructiveReaders.

In addition to the usual update, I wanted to do something unique this time. I'm normally quite harsh with myself, but it's not healthy for my motivation. I actually have a lot of things to be proud of, and even if it's a little self-aggrandizing, I want to go through these things:

Worldbuilding

I am incredibly proud of the world I’ve built. Even though I kind of feel like I’ve lucked into creating this amazing world, that doesn’t change how I feel about it. Its otherworldly elements range from mundane to beautiful to exotically horrific, and together they create a very rich world that is distinct from our own. I think it feels rather refreshing as a result, and again, I’m really happy with this world that I’ve built.

One thing in particular that I want to note about the world is how well it ties together with the plot and the characters and even with itself. Because it all ties together so well, each new element feels appropriate when it is introduced. It provides a strong sense of cohesion to the whole book, and I really like how it’s coming along as a result.

Worldview

I think I have a take on relationships and gender that is both insightful and unique enough to be worth sharing. Kiri and Rose are born from my experiences, and their respective journeys reflect my views on love and relationships. Kiri further reflects my take on gender, in particular what femininity means to me and my acceptance of that as a part of who I am. I hope readers will be able to resonate with Kiri and Rose and be inspired by them in some manner, and I'm excited to write their journey.

Wordcrafting

I generally like my writing, especially the more descriptive passages, and I’m occasionally rather proud of certain phrases that use creative imagery or an interesting cadence for example. I think I would attribute this generally to the care and attention I dedicate to the words I use and the way I phrase them. When it comes to the cadence of my writing in particular, I might actually attribute that to my love for music and my experience with it.

Narrative structure

Due to the extensive time I’ve spent analyzing film, I’ve become pretty good with narrative structure. Admittedly, I started this project with much less sense of structure, and I had no outline for the book - parts 2 and 3 didn’t even exist, and while I knew how part 1 ended, I made up a lot of it as I went along. All of this is pretty evident in draft 1 of “A Dying Spark”. Since then though, I’ve improved significantly and developed the outline much more. I’ve developed a three-part structure, likely inspired subconsciously by A:TLA and its three books (since it is my favorite series, after all =P). Admittedly, I did explicitly analyze the pacing of the antagonists of A:TLA when creating my own. These antagonists helped shape the plot shifts that mark the separate parts, resulting in three distinct parts with different themes and character motivations. Still, these parts manage to come together in a single, cohesive arc. When it comes to individual parts, I want to call out "Ghost of a Fireflower". The outline features the parallel stories of Kiri and Rose, and their stories resonate with each other and interleave together in order to advance a shared plot thread and emotional arc. The two stories come to a head together in a twin conclusion, and I’m really excited to write this conclusion. As for “Birth of a Dragon”, I don’t have much of an outline for it yet. However, I am confident that I'll be able to structure it so that it is engaging on its own and it ties together all of the threads that came to be in the first two parts.

Editing

At some point, I decided I wanted to analyze what exactly I thought about the media I consumed. It was no longer sufficient that I just like something, and it was especially insufferable that I just dislike something: I had to be able to describe its flaws as meticulously as possible.

More and more analysis has helped me develop a detailed and accurate sense of what constitutes good and bad writing. This includes big picture aspects like narrative structure and character arcs as well as minutiae on the order of sentence structure and word choice. In a fortunate coincidence, this is what I (perhaps biasedly) consider to be the most important quality in editing: after all, it’s important to be able to describe the problem before attempting to fix it.

I think my dabbling in game design has also helped me develop this skill. Games can be very multifaceted art forms, perhaps even more so than novels and films. As with editing a novel, it is important to be able to describe the problems and isolate what aspects of the game are causing them; otherwise, a designer can end up making a number of changes that fail to address the actual problem. I developed these skills while working on various game design projects, and these skills have transferred over to my writing and made me rather good at editing.

Finally, I want to finish this post off quickly with a description of a few small areas I need improvement in:

Writing speed

I write too slowly. I know it’s because I want every word to be perfect, but I really need to find a way to push myself to move along and write at a quicker pace. I think I need to recognize that not everything needs to be perfect the first time around - after all, any given scene might be replaced in its entirety. As another example, I’ve spent so much time on this post, which has little purpose beyond its effect on my pride.

Brainstorming

I’m really bad at brainstorming (something I’ve also noticed with work and in my game design pursuit). When faced with a problem, I need to be better at coming up with varied ideas that explore different paths. My current problem-solving ‘strategy’ is just to kind of struggle with a problem until a solution comes along, and this just isn’t viable. I’m going to come across problems in the narrative, and I’ll need to be able to handle them quickly and sufficiently when they come up.

Pride

This might be ironic, given that I wrote this whole post because I felt I needed to be more proud of my work, but pride is actually my biggest flaw. In other aspects of life, I might even say the vast majority of my problems stem from my pride. As for writing, it’s likely why I write slowly, since I can’t bear writing something I’m not proud in. Perhaps more importantly is the issue of feedback - throughout my time working on this book, I will get feedback at various times. I’ll need to react in an objective manner and let go of my pride if I want to write the best book I can, and hopefully I’ll be able to do that.

Well, that’s finally all for now! Even if it is going slower than I’d like, I’m really proud of what I’ve created so far. I love Kiri and Rose, and I’m really excited to take them to the conclusion of “Ghost of a Fireflower” and start brainstorming what they do in “Birth of a Dragon”. Whew, it’s been quite a long post =P pce out til next time!