#this is the longest chapter so far and i'm so mad about it

[raayllum]

Chapter length: 10.5k Summary: Ezran's Summit meeting has a few hiccups. Both Janai and Karim reach decisions regarding their sibling. And Callum and Rayla navigate the aftermath of leaving Katolis. a/n: featuring Grark, Aanya's adoptive older brother, and I love him

CHAPTER 5: Heavy is the Head

Queen Aanya had long been a friend of Katolis.

King Harrow had delivered her mother’s ring to her regent personally when she was too young to do much more than blink at it, and cry in confusion as the days turned into weeks and her mothers still did not return. She’d attended her first ball in Katolis, and the king had always kindly inquired after her without making comments about how much she’d grown or how tall she was getting like all the other monarchs. He’d treated her like a child while simultaneously treating her like a queen, a delicate balance she’d appreciated and was sure he’d passed down onto his sons.

Admittedly, Aanya didn’t know Prince Callum that well considering she’d saved his life. He’d been energetic if overly eager on the way back to the Pentarchy with their armies, and then moody and flighty once the boys’... friend had disappeared. The rest of the Pentarchy had been told that the Moonshadow elf, Rayla, had gone off on a personal mission of sorts for the boys, but Aanya knew the truth was far more worrying, and that she was far more akin to missing.

Ezran had been bereaved, too, but in a different way. Still always able to look ahead, still always able to force some cheer, still always able to wear his crown and a smile and chip away at the other monarchs’ egos and reservations until he got what he was advocating for. Most of the time. 

Grark had encouraged her to make friends with him. “It might do you well,” her older brother said, dark hair falling over his eyes, “to have someone your own age around. He’s a monarch, too.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that,” she’d replied dryly, but much to Grark’s fond smugness, they had become friends—sending letters across their borders of daily matters and complaints rather solely diplomatic relations, weathering Neolandia and Del Bar’s ire together over their fallen forces, seeing one another a bright spot at otherwise stuffy or droll meetings and galas.

Read from the beginning here

[nalyra-dreaming]

Heey, I've finished Memnoch, and I'm evidently among those crazy people who enjoy it a lot. Although it would land differently if I didn't read ahead. The further I go, the more this wet cat of a man entices me. PL Lestat did something to my brain, I will probably love all the mad shenanigans now. + The ending made a lot of sense after TVA and Blood and Gold. I kiiind of regret I've skipped this part at first, though, because now I'm curious what the ending would do to me without spoilers 🤣

So, a question. How did Armand's religious frenzy look for you when other novels haven't come out yet? I'm not sure I would have understood it the same way only with his TVL chapter. And what did you think in general with the context of what Anne was saying at the time? It kinda did feel like she didn't want to write about them anymore and wanted to explore something else. So I get why people would be confused.

By now I enjoy it a lot as well!! It grew on me on second reread, which is not that far back actually, and was followed by a pause and then a third. There is a lot in there and a lot that makes one think, and a lot... crazy stuff *laughs*

So this was, by statement, supposed to be the last book. Then. She did not want to write them anymore, indeed.

Which, you might imagine, was devastating, with that ending.

Armand gone up in flames, others, too. Lestat mad, jaded and slinking into obscurity.

I didn't touch the books for the longest time.

I'm not sure I can answer your question wrt to Armand and his religious frenzy. It's... been a while (maybe others want to add on with their experiences here?!) - I just remember that reading it all... was devastating.

Louis, crying and begging at the locked doors. The absolute despair in it all, in the grief of losing Armand.

Lestat saying: "Adieu, mon amour." the last thing in the book.

The whole book screams for some answers. Answers that are still denied in the end. Was it the Devil? Was it God? Was it purgatory? Did Armand sacrifice himself there for anything that is true? Or was it just a futile gesture, which brought only pain, no relief... I can understand the utter shock to the system actual proof had to produce in Armand - him, a child of the Children of Satan, being confronted with the actual proof within this universe.

It must have been devastating as well, emotionally, and for his soul.

So much of what he believed he had left behind and overcome... crushing him now.

Now, TVA followed. Merrick. Blood and Gold. Pandora. Blackwood Farm. Blood Canticle. I picked them up at some point, somewhat disbelievingly.

I did not really enjoy them the first time, after Memnoch the wound was still open, the yearning to get back to Lestat for some kind of resolution for him and Louis quite strong. The blow had been intense, and Merrick promised... and then the other books did not deliver. And Blood Canticle felt absolutely OOC, though I find it has its place now in his arc. Now.

Because back then I could not have dreamed that Anne would finish the arcs. Or some at least. Would pick up the threads for Louis, Lestat and even Claudia once more, reshape them. I had not dreamed that the last trilogy would give them resolution.

Would close so many wounds.

I'm older now. I understand a lot more about trauma, and pain, and loss, and how these things shape us.

I read these books now quite differently. Their voices sound differently in my mind. I know why Anne had to let Louis go, and why she struggled so hard. I can feel the pain of loss and the wish to find a higher purpose in the tale.

So yeah^^. Reading it back then without the other books... was indeed something^^. But I do enjoy rereading it now too. :)

[xxvalkyriesxx]

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going!

Thank you @popjunkie42 @jsmelodies @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk @moodymelanist @witch-and-her-witcher for tagging me <3 <3 Love you all <3

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

81,805 😳😊

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

So far only 6 one-shots! The rest of my multi-chapter fics are still ongoing.

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

This is my first year writing ACOTAR fics so I started 4 ongoing fics!

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

This is like picking a favorite kid haha, but Flying Changes has definitely change my life for the better. It just started off from a simple idea I posted and the reaction I got was explosive in the best way possible.

I rode for eight years when I was younger before I had to give it up for a lot of reasons. One day I would love to return to it, but for right now I'm reconnecting to it through my favorite couple <3

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

So two pieces I think best fit this question which is The Joker and the Queen and Labyrinth of the Night.

The Joker and the Queen is a fluff rom-com piece for the Acotar Gift Exchange and it's different my usual smut and or angsty fics, but in the best ways! It's such a fun piece to write and make Nessian be idiots in love.

I also chose Labyrinth of the Night as it's my only feysand fic (for now 👀). I'm a Nessian writer so writing outside my main ship is always a bit hard. I haven't always been a fan of feysand but I've read a few feysand fics that I just loved that I wanted to take a swing.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Honestly, The Blood on your Hands. I was mad about HOFAS once again, so I wrote a small fic of Cassian beating the brakes off Rhys for his reaction to Nesta (don't worry, Rhys is fine. Maybe I'll write a sequel where Feyre plays doctor xD).

I wrote this fic getting out my feelings and before I knew it the reception was huge. It's my most popular one-shot to date.

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

Probably Keeping the Summer Nights Away. It's a small fluff piece for Nessian week, and it's just very simple, but I honestly just loved writing Nessian doing a self-care night together haha.

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

Oh jeez so many but to name a few - @dustjacketdraws madschofield (instagram), llibiarts (instagram), @jmoonjones, @janearts, @vivictory-draws.

These artists amazing at what they do and their art always makes my jaw drop!

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

Oh my goodness, again a lot of people but to name the ones who really convinced me (literally just by their writing alone) to jump head first back into writing fanfcition - @c-e-d-dreamer @kale-theteaqueen @separatist-apologist @moodymelanist to name a few.

I read ACOTAR back in 2020 so a little a before it really blew up, and eventually I ended up on Tumblr again seeking actoar content when Twitter got too toxic for me.

I was fanfic reader for the longest time. I did write for other fandoms when I was younger, but I either deleted or orphaned my works as I grew out of said fandoms. So for about four years, I just read fanfiction from the ACOTAR fandom. It was too the point that I tried to read whatever new Nessian fic was uploaded daily haha.

I wanna shout out one of the first Nessian fics I read, A Favor. It was the first fanfic that really spoke to me that I wasn't alone in how I felt about Nesta and her treatment with Cassian/the IC and vise versa. Come to find out years later, it's a classic for a lot of Nessian stans.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

Ahhh you gotta check them out - @jsmelodies @littedidyouknow @beesays @wishcamper @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk @unhealthyfanobsession @foundress0fnothing

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

Not at the moment

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

Taking a chance at writing again <3

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

That I should be kinder to myself, and it's probably best to start off small. I started a fic back in March/April of this year with Eris/OC and I think the concept was good, but there was so much thought I was putting into, that I just ended up bored. It was going to be a heavy plot story about Rhysand's daughter that he had with Amarantha that featured dragons and a ton of OCs, but it just honestly back fired lol.

It was way too complicated and I didn't have the spoons for it. And you know, it happens lol. I have since deleted the fic because I don't plan to work on it.

14. What is your advice?

It's the most basic writing advice, but write what you know. If you go too far out of your comfort zone, it may be more damning for you in the long run.

Also if you can, use a text-to-speech service to help hear your story before you post it. I use the immersive reader on Outlook (I don't send my fics anywhere lol, but immersive reader is available for drafts). It's not perfect, but it helps give me a second pair eyes when I'm tired of visually editing.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

Finish at least two if not three of my ongoing fics! Participate in more character and ship weeks/weekends. Maybe finally get enough money to get a commission done for one of my fics.

No pressure but @foundress0fnothing @beesays, @velarisdusk. If you've already done this, no worries <3

[moony-2001]

Lore Olympus ep. 252 critique

Before all you stans get mad I generally thought this episode was pretty okay. But maybe that’s because not a whole lot happened.

Cassandra

So going in the order of events, first up is our favorite gal Cassandra.

Gotta say, already like her loads.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about her general existence, beyond the fact that it’s stupid that Apollo is using her as a walking incognito tab. My main criticism more lies around the idea of when did Apollo even meet her? He obviously couldn’t have met her during the time skip because there were no interactions allowed between realms during that time and he was kicking it in Olympus.

We also have no indication of when he actually met her post-punishment. There’s no definitive timeline for how far we are post-time skip, but by my estimation, we can’t be more than a month past when the embargo officially lifted. Idk I can already smell the mess that is this storyline a mile away.

The SA plot line

Holy fuck. I don’t exactly know what the hell Rachel is exactly trying to achieve with the SA plot line but I can tell you that the handling of it has been piss poor.

Uhhh... this is great and all except for the fact that Persephone never thought this. There is not one shred of evidence that Persephone ever liked or actually found Apollo handsome. Not even in the very early chapters. She didn't even say that he made her feel special. She said that she liked the way Hades made her feel. Hades made her feel special by grooming her but that's a whole-ass post on its own.

Even after her assault, she continued to express at minimum a clear discomfort for him in front of others and at maximum immense hatred for him when by herself or with only him. And now suddenly Rachel wants to flip the script? Why? What purpose would that serve? Why is she suddenly backpedaling on a plotline that was established within the first 25 episodes/the second day Persephone is on Olympus? The SA plotline is the longest-running and the "big bad" that has yet to be resolved. But now it only pops up when the story needs a little conflict or an extra boost to drive it forward. Plus now she wants to portray Apollo as this misunderstood ex-love interest/boyfriend with whom the audience is supposed to sympathize? It's disgusting. @genericpuff who I really need to stop tagging in these posts I'm so sorry made an excellent essay about how Rachel is burying the SA plot line that basically takes what I've said above and greatly expands it. Go read it, they made a lot of excellent points.

Melinoe

Ah yes. The mystery deity that was really Hades’ inner child/actual child all along!

So I actually had a conversation with another LO critic about how weird I thought this "inner child -> actual canonical child" pipeline was. Now, granted, I could be reading into this way too much but when I first read this, I honestly thought it was some kind of weird/unintentional representation of parents projecting their trauma onto their children.

We've seen this little ghost buddy in past chapters and a lot of people (myself included) thought that our ghost buddy was a representation of Hades' inner child. A little Hades if you will. And it was portrayed that way. We often saw our little ghost buddy/little Hades who was extremely traumatized by Hades' past experiences. The part of Hades that just can't let go despite what he may claim about "moving on" or "being better". But if this little ghost/Hades is actually their kid Melinoe, that means they saw everything that Hades went through. All his traumas, all his struggles. Everything. And now also with Persephone and her little jaunt through the mind-scape and the shit she saw. So now we have to recontextualize all of those scenes where Hades interacts with this being and tbh the scenes kind of become very ick? This is such a strange direction to take this particular storyline. Something about it just rubs me the wrong way and I don't know if it's my above complaint or something else.

But yeah. Pretty tame in comparison to some of my past posts and posts that will come. Until the next chapter and/or my next post.

[yanderewonderlandgame]

Working on a R19 horror/smut Otome visual novel inspired by korean light novels I've read. Currently the story is pretty long, but it's going well enough on track I'll talk about it!

This is NOT vanilla smut. This smut contains a lot of different fetishes to explore based on the character you end up with.

Fetishes:

Depicts acts of: rape/no-con/con, toys, submission, conditioning, bondage, domination, hypnosis, egg, tentacle, vore, medical devices, drugs, manipulation, body modification. Are just to name a few(small amount here it's only between 2 characters >>). I'll be post updates on here and I will let you know when the first update will be available.

As only a few. I'll be adding more. I don't know how many more fetishes there will be but most characters with have one major sexual trait along with others along side it.

-------

I plan to release it sooner than I may anticipate it given the speed. Currently doing 1-2 chapters a day. The storyboards are done.

Read time:

Read time may vary for many chapters

One character Cyrus has 2 chapters completed at close to 10000 words so far

Octavius another deranged individual has 17000 words for the first 2 chapters.

(read time may be 5 or more hours per character upon completion)

Est word count is hard to say. Each of the 8 chapters contains 5000+ words Octavius has an 11000 word chapter.

-----

Characters

Several 'love' interests and not for the faint of heart.

Love interests (there are several others to be added):

Warren (the white rabbit)

Nox (the Cheshire)

Cyrus (the catapillar)

Octavius(the mad Hatter)

No names yet highly possible future characters:

Jabberwocky

March hare

Dormouse

Twins

If there is a character you would be interested be sure to let me know.

The next blog post will be a synopsis of the game. So far I'm proud of the characters and their yandere characteristics. I'll provide some profiles in the future too (I have trouble drawing people. And they might take the longest to complete.) if you want to play test I'll provide information soon when it's ready for it! (It's real dirty for us pervy woman who have NO real R19 visual novels we can enjoy. I plan to make one we really would love to have. <3

------

I'll post development blog updates as I work on the game.

Current status:

Playable but very short(30 minutes) (well sort of until all dialogue is added to the game and editing will take time. I've gotten carried away writing lol.

------

Development:

Cyrus 1/8 acts complete

Octavius 6/8 complete

3/? Prolouge branches so far completes. One branch may lead to a certain group of characters.

Looking forward to sharing screenshots later! But it's a diamond in the rough

[princesspuresarahk]

Meg Fanfic

Chapter: 7 Cleveland's Resolution and Hidden secrets in the attic?

In the Griffins attic Chris shines a flashlight around the room, looking at all of the boxes.

"I think Mom mentioned that our birth certificates and family history photos are somewhere up here. Maybe in the back, I think?" He questioned as Meg joined him inside Chris needed help with a big homework assignment on their family for a family history tree his class is doing for November and Chris wanted to get ahead and asked his sister to help him look which Meg happily agreed to help him.

They know some of their family history of being mostly Irish descent on their father's side with some African from their great ancestor Nathaniel and their mother's family were Holocaust survivors of either Ukrainian or possibly Russian and that was pretty much it. "I'm sure it's up here somewhere with all this stuff up here it might take a while," she replied while blowing some dust away from a case. That was a bit of a mistake with dust that got everywhere causing it to go up her nose making Meg have a bit of a sneezing fit "Oh my ahh ahh-Chhhoo! Achoo! Achoo! Oh so much dusty achoo!" She winced moving away from the dusty area despite dust and cobwebs being everywhere!

"It's definitely been a while since this place has been cleaned," looking around Meg found a duster to clear off some of the webs and dust showing off a few harmless spiders until it was clear from a section looking to Chris pointed him in a group of boxes "let's start in this section and then work our way to the back I'm sure the stuff is here somewhere," before putting the duster back where she found it as the two siblings set to work to look for.

Once again at The Clam Cleveland was ready yet nervous about confronting his friend as he sat at the usual booth he and his friends usually sat slowly taking a few sips of his beer to calm his nerves a bit knowing he had to stay sober for "you can do this Cleveland you have to for your God baby's sake and Donna's it has to be done," whispering to himself as he noticed Quagmire and Joe come in heading to their spot give me a calm smile he greeted them "hey guys what's up Hey where's Peter he should be here by now?" Wondering where their friend is as he's usually the first one to come here.

“Heard he got some trouble with Lois and a bit upset,” Quagmire replied.

"so I've heard, is he still sleeping at that Motel?" He asked trying to keep neutral but seem to be worry looking for his friend "Lois must be still pretty mad at him huh,"

Joe nodded. “A lot. This could be the longest time she was angry.”

"have mercy," he mumbled as Jerome came by with their usual drinks and gave Cleveland an encouraging nod to talk about what he and Cleveland discussed he wanted to talk about with his friends taking a deep breath he let the words out "Hey fellas," he asked a bit out loud who turned his attention "what is it's Cleveland?" Quagmire asked first noticing something was on Cleveland's mind "Yeah what's up buddy something on your mind," Joe asked the same taking a sip of his beer.

Taking another deep breath Cleveland put it out in the truth"Have you guys ever wondered in truth be honest ever questioned why we are friends with Peter sometimes?"

This question seemed to have caught Quagmire and Joe by surprise! “What do you mean, Cleveland?” Joe asked him.

(Courage Cleveland keeps going so they can understand) "What I mean is well been on my mind for a while I know Peter can be a good friend but there are times I've been thinking has he ever been a truly good friend or person especially with us or to his family,"

Back at the Griffin house Meg and Chris were still searching for those family pictures and journals but no such luck. Looking through box after box Meg turned to Chris if he found anything yet "Found anything Chris?" So far nothing as Chris shrugged "Nothing yet, but I found my birth certificate," holding his said paper in a frame. Well, that's one thing to find Meg walked to the darker side of the attic " They gotta be here in the back it'd make sense. Turning on her phone flashlight looking around.

Meg starts to look at anything that could be new to her.

Looking around she came across an old trunk that had the Pewterschmidt initial on it Meg's memory came into her mind remembering back when she was 8 or 7 seeing some albums and other stuff in this trunk that their grandparents brought for their mother to see they must have forgotten it and Mom decided to put in the Attic "hey Chris I think I found what we're looking for," walking over to it she tried lifting it but with no access. Dang, it was a bit heavy "Hey Chris come over and help me with this this thing weighs more than Dad," she half-joked giggling a bit Chris laughed at the joke it was a bit mean but it doesn't hurt when he's not around. Walking over to help Meg they both each got one side of the case "Okay on three..1..2..3..LEFT!" Taking a breath they lifted the heavy trunk carefully to the open space of the attic well doing so next foot sounded like caught on to something costing her nearly trip and almost losing her grip on the trunk "Whoa that was close," she gasped looking behind her she noticed one of the old floorboards loose.

She gets closer, seeing that there is something deeper inside. Looking down at the open piece of floorboard Meg noticed something peeking out there was something in there (but what?) "Um Meg the trunk is getting heavy can we set it down now," Chris called interrupting her thoughts "Oh sorry Chris here we go let's settle this down here, yes there we go," she apologized helping resettle the trunk onto the open space so they can open the trunk in the meantime as Chris opens it back a bit Meg brushed the dust and old webs from her hands fully turning back towards the open correct floorboard.

She looks to see an album book. "Huh?"

Carefully lifting the 'surprisingly' loose board to get a better look It was an album book! It was pale pink and small, small enough to hide in a hidden area looking closer she realized it wasn't the only object in there. Was that an old jewelry box like one of those she'd seen at their grandparents? Lifting it she slowly opened it but quickly closed it when a little tune started playing.

"What was that?" Chris heard the sound coming from where Meg was sitting.

"It's a music box. It's so... nice." She replied.

"Where'd you find it?" Now curious Chris walked to where Meg was sitting putting the box down and lifting the small pink album.

"It was under the floorboards for some reason," looking down at the music box again she noticed there were initials on it. Looking closely she realized they were her mother's mother's initials L.P.P Lois Patrice Pewterschmidt "But why would Mom hide this for some reason?" She questioned before going back to the album flipping it open she noticed a few pictures of her mom in it along with a piece of hair taped on the side looking closely she looked at me being hugged by someone with only their arms and chest in view based on the angle of the camera but she realized must have come from a Polaroid camera and whoever was hugging her she could see it definitely wasn't Peter. She also noticed a date written on it looking closer she realized it was taken months after her parents married what?

"what the heck..?"

This didn't make any sense when she heard Chris behind her asking the same thing "Hey is that Mom when she was younger and who's that hugging behind her?"

Back at The Calm

Peter walks into the bar, seeing that his friends are already there. “Hey! You’re all here!” He exclaimed with excitement.

The guys quietly greeted him after their long difficult conversation about their 'friend' as Peter settled down with them the three stayed hushed about the topic until Cleveland was ready to speak with Quagmire being the first to speak up "So Peter how are you and Lois doing have you two made up yet, we've heard on the grapevine she was pretty mad at you,"

"She's still mad but I'm sure she will get over it," Peter replied.

"And if she doesn't then what Peter I think you should find a way to make it up to her," Joe added.

"Joe's right Pete, if my Donna was that ever angry with me I would definitely want to make up and think about my actions and how it affects her," Cleveland chimed in getting ready to confront his friend about Meg.

At the Griffin's Attic

"Who is this guy Meg?" Chris repeated breaking Meg from her sudden daze she realized she was looking at the photo trying to figure out the question herself.

"Oh yeah sorry Chris..I..I don't know Chris..this just doesn't make sense to me," flipping through the album that shows her Mother in different poses smiling shyly as she's looking at someone lovingly.

(It must be that guy who was hugging her but again who is he?) She thought her curiosity was at its peak when she noticed some other pictures at a later time showing her mother with a small baby bump! Looking closely she noticed the date written on it, a strange uneasiness in her mind as judging by the numbers this would have been the time her Mother was pregnant with her.

Chris seemed to notice her uneasiness Meg? You ok,"

"Y-yes, Chris." Meg still felt concerned.

A sense of dread was creeping up on her as she continued to look through the pages seeing hints and bits of the guy her mom was hanging about. Given her mom's history with men she had a deep feeling there was more to this guy than she realized and her point was about to be proven when she noticed near the end of the page some folded paper sticking out.

With shaky fingers, she slowly pulled it out and opened it her violet-blue eyes now widened with every emotion running through her veins as she saw what it was a birth certificate! Meg felt her body begin to shake in a slight panic. "Chris, are you seeing what I'm seeing? This..this can't be real can it?" She'd seen her birth certificate before reading both her parents' names but this said something completely different.

Chris could definitely see what it said looking at the birth certificate said for the mother Lois P. Griffin, but the Father, Stan Thompson.

This was something concerning especially with Meg as Chris noticed how quiet Meg had become.

Many emotions could be seen in her eyes confusion, anger and betrayal.

"Why would Mom hide this?" She whispered rereading the certificate and looking it over, again and again, it should be proof of her mother's handwriting with her baby footprint and the 'other man's written in a style similar to her own as it clicked in her head!

The hidden pictures, the cut piece of hair, the photos and the hidden birth certificate the reasons why she probably wanted to keep this hidden.

Meg was starting to feel numb as tears peaked in her eyes with the emotions shown on her face "So this was the reason," a part of the reason why she was treated the way she was? With the emotional and physical pain, the treatment of putting her down so much and being seen as an outcast.

"what is it Meg, what's.. what's wrong?" Chris was now concerned about his sister seeing the tears begin to fall from her face slightly showing red from holding back the tears and trying to keep her emotions in control but it was too late her eyes couldn't help it as her face flushed in rising anger and wanting answers from their Mother Lois!

Donna was hanging out with the kids finishing up some paperwork when she heard her husband come in "Hey baby, how'd it go with the guys did you talk with Pe.." she stopped mid-sentence when she noticed his saddened face with slight anger in his eyes that told her what had happened with his talk with Peter she turned to the kids "kids I need you three to go upstairs for awhile Cleveland and I to talk privately ok," Roberta and Junior nodded in understanding when Rallo asked why Jr. Pulled him aside just in time.

"Don't worry about it Rallo come on let's go upstairs I wanna show you the map I drew out in detail for all the good candy spots this year!" That got Rallo's attention as the three went ahead minus Roberta who stopped just out of sight to listen when Cleveland Jr. noticed he called out to what she was doing before she gave a "hush" motion putting a finger to her lips wanting to listen. Her, stepbrother nodded understanding as he and Rallo went to his room, Roberta leaned against the top of the stairwell carefully listening in on her parents as Donna gave a concern look towards her husband "It went that bad didn't it huh?" Cleveland gave a nod as he took off his jacket "It did Donna it truly did," giving a sigh and rubbing his temples as the anger left his eyes and were now full of melancholy "Peter Griffin and I are no longer friends," another headache was coming as Donna gave him a gentle hug in "you knew what to be done Cleveland," whispering soothing words Cleveland gave another tired sigh "I need a water and a aspirin," they walked to the kitchen as Donna filled him up a quick glass of water and headache medicine and back to the living room. Donna asked some more questions "What about Joe and Quagmire did they take your side?" Remembering his other friends were going to be there.

Donna sighed at his response. She shouldn't be too surprised that there is a mixed reaction.

"But if it will keep my goddaughter safe it's a friendship I'm willing to end," he reassured proudly he said determined with a small smile.

Donna responded with a kiss happy and proud of her hubby for helping Meg.

Speaking of his goddaughter "By the way where is Meg?"

Suddenly Donna and Cleveland heard a loud commotion from the open widow coming from the Griffin House.

Very loud yelling came from the open front door showing Lois had recently gotten home and it seemed she and Meg were arguing about something serious, judging by how angry Meg sounded. This concerned Donna as she and Cleveland walked out towards the Griffin's walking cautiousness as she caught a few words being yelled "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!" She sounded (Oh dear Lord,) "YOU LIED TO ME!" Donna was growing more worried "SO IT All Makes Sense I am not that that SOB's daughter and YOU Kept It From Me MOM Cause OF YoU MY Life Was HELL!"

A sound of a 'SLAP!' echoed from the house causing Donna and Cleveland to freeze in shock at what they just heard!?

Their shock instantly ended with the thunder in the dark clouds as the rain began falling drizzling down before heavily falling hard on the ground they saw Meg running out of the door her hand cradling her right cheek as hot tears fell from her face as run holding her backpack close tightly against her chest not hearing the call of her Auntie Donna "Wait, Meg what's wrong!?" Blinded by the clapping thunderstorm with the emotions of anger, confusion, heartbreak and betrayal all one swirling like a tornado her mind and aching heart with the only instinct in her was to run! Runaway from that awful house and that awful family of hers!

"Meg! Meg! Honey wait please come back!"

Donna cried but it was too late Meg ran so far off in panic that Donna couldn't keep up in the incoming rain Donna almost tripped on the sidewalk if it wasn't for Cleveland catching up to keep her steady "Woah careful Donna are ya alright," he asked as Donna steadied herself "Yeah baby, I'm good but we gotta find Meg," they footsteps turning to see Roberta behind them with umbrellas

" what happened we heard yelling outside and when we looked Meg ran out of the Giffins what the hell happened?" Roberta asked handing the other umbrella to her folks and looking around for Meg wondering where she ran off to.

Donna looked over to the direction Meg had run off now worried to the bone. She shouldn't be out there especially with the weather getting colder, especially at night and dangerous. A frown fell on Donna's brow as she angrily looked back at the Griffin's house her inner Auntie Mama Bear showing "Yes, Roberta something did happen and I'm gonna find out now! In the meantime go get the car warmed up and some flashlights, Cleveland can you go get Joe we might need his help," she calmly ordered as Roberta gave a nod jogging back to the house to do that. As did Cleveland who gave her a look of worry handing her the umbrella to head to Joe's he asked Donna "What are you going to do baby," who was marching towards the Griffins with determination and anger in every step.

"To demand answers from Lois and what the hell she is hiding!"

Cleveland knows that he needs to think of something quick before things get worse even further.

Chapter: 8 Alone in the dark. as Meg cries out the pain in her heart in the rain and dark. A furious Donna confronts Lois on her daughter's treatment and a distraught with guilt Lois finally reveals the truth!

credit to the beautiful Taffy aka www.tumblr.com/queenofcandynso… for being part of this fanfic : )

If ya'll are wondering how Cleveland's confrontation went with Peter and how Meg's confrontation went with her Mother? Feel free to write in reply in what you think happens in those scenes. : )

[porcelainmortal]

Hello hello!! 3, 10 and 11 for the ao3 wrapped? 💖

Thanks for the ask, Calou!! 😁

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

mad love. I almost scrapped this fic so many times. I had to rewrite it a few times and even when it was done, I still almost trashed it. I'm really proud that I finished it and I'm actually happy with how it came out. Also, honorable mention to find me here and speak to me, because I was really determined to get it just right. I was worried about how it might be perceived, but the comments are full of people saying I toed the line well so I'm very happy with that. 💕

10. What work was the quickest to write?

Obviously the shorter the work, the quicker it usually goes. BUT the first fic that poured out of me in record time was it happened on a lake. That fic appeared, fully formed in my brain, and triggered my first real fugue writing state. The first chapter appeared in a single evening and I barely edited it at all before posting.

11. What work took you the longest to write?

The posted fic that took the longest to write was mad love. But Handyman!Alex part four is still in process, will not be done until the new year. I started that fic in April, so it's definitely my longest WIP so far.

ao3 wrapped

[mirrormazeworld]

TWST Theory : Deep Analysis Based on Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass - Crowley The Mad Hatter (part 1)

⚠️WARNING⚠️

⚠️CONTAINS SPOILER CHAPTER 6 AND 7⚠️

⚠️VERY COMPLICATED TWST THEORY, MIGHT GIVES YOU HEADACHE, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK ⚠️

Note:

You've read this far, congratulations! Beware that this is the longest and most difficult part to understand out of all parts it might give you headaches if you're not ready. (It's ok, I can't take it as well myself that I almost cried when I wrote this) Keep in mind that I have little to no evidence, therefore this theory is my original theory and purely just my assumptions so please take it with the grain of salt (as usual).

Before I explain, I want to say that I did this analysis and research purely because I want a base to make a hc for Crowley for my own fanfic/yumeship since we have little to no information about him. I just feel the need to get it all off my head and share it here because of how complicated it is and to better understand what kind of Crowley he is in my lore that I created, since how I see of Crowley is very different compared to how most people see Crowley. Most people see him as the mastermind, a very evil villain to the point most people in the fandom hate him unreasonably. I can guess it's because of almost all people in the fandom, both JP and EN side doesn't know what twisted he is and he is just mysterious and ambiguous that he is misunderstood.

Crowley has been believed for a long time as twisted from Diablo, Maleficent's raven because of his name. Some also suspected he's the crow in Snow White. Even so there's no telling of what he is twisted from. And don't you think it's a bit weird when both Diablo and the crow in Snow White role actually doesn't really have that much significance in their respective stories while we know Crowley would play a great part in twst as he is still the Headmaster of NRC. I'm sure twst fans have been dying to know what he is supposed to be for almost 3 years including myself, but I've always believed he is actually also twisted of something else other than Diablo and today I'm going to share my own analysis and hc of Crowley that hopefully would help you understand him and his character better, and that is :

Dire Crowley : Twisted of Mad Hatter

A long time ago I was just thinking, if Yuu supposed to be Alice that comes to a Wonderland, surely there should be Mad Hatter somewhere...? And then I remembered someone that seems to wear hat everywhere no matter the circumstances...

That's right, it's the Headmage of NRC, Dire Crowley.

And isn't it kind of weird that his hat is similar to that of Ramshackle ghost's? As if the clue is there in front of your eyes.

So I decided to look at it further and found something interesting....

Alice in Wonderland : The World of Math

Alice in Wonderland is a children's book because of its fantasy like story, but if you're a true book lover, you'll know that Alice in Wonderland is a book full of riddles. There are a lot of english wordplay but what not many people know is that most of the riddles in Alice in Wonderland are related to Math, as Carroll is also the Math Logician.

I won't explain much but this is an example of the math riddle in Alice in Wonderland (you can skip this part if it's too much. I just want to show you) :

In the chapter of "Advice from Caterpillar", Alice has fallen down the rabbit hole and eaten a cake that has shrunk her to a height of just 3 inches. The Caterpillar enters, smoking a hookah pipe, and shows Alice a mushroom that can restore her to her proper size. But one side of the mushroom stretches her neck, while another shrinks her torso, so she must eat exactly the right balance to regain her proper size and proportions. The word "hookah" is of Arabic origin, like "algebra", and the original Arabic term for algebra, widely known and used in the mathematical community in Carroll's time, was al jebr e al mokabala or "restoration and reduction" - which exactly describes Alice's experience. It's Carroll's view of the absurdity of symbolic algebra.

The reason why I strongly believe Crowley is/was the one who looped/rewind the time is because I suspect he is the Mad Hatter. I have always been drawing him based on this thoughts in my mind and of course it's not without reason. Every scenes in Alice in Wonderland contains riddles in it and most of them goes by math logic. And from all of those riddles, the "A Mad Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland and "Wool and Water" from Through The Looking Glass are the only scenes that tells time in wonderland specifically that made Alice realizes time in Wonderland goes differently from her own world.

In one interview, Yana said it herself that she learned so much from Lewis Carroll's style of story telling. Carroll's background in Math and his interest in literatures allowed him to criticize ideas at that time through his Wonderland stories. This is what his story telling style is like when he made "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass". Doing analysis on Dire Crowley means that I should solve the riddle first and then do an actual analysis on him.

Now you know that Alice in Wonderland is about Math, so from this onwards, I'm going to do explanation how to solve the riddle while also explaining about Crowley along the way

Note : I'm not a Mathematician nor a Physician so there might be other things that I have no idea about but I'll do my best to explain the math riddle to you...

Mad Hatter and His Relation to Time

-Time for a T-Party : "A Mad Tea Party"- (Alice in Wonderland)

“It began with the tea,” the Hatter replied.

“Of course twinkling begins with a T!” said the King sharply. “Do you take me for a dunce? Go on!”

When you read "Tea Party" it sounds the same as "T-Party". "T" is the math symbol of "Time" in mathematics. At the time when Alice in Wonderland was written and published, a mathematician, Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805–1865) invented "quaternion", a four dimensional extension to complex number that also represent rotations and orientation happening to the four dimensional object in three dimensional space.

To put it simply, quaternion is a four number system in mathematics that shows what happened to 3D objects if they are in timespace (4th dimension)

Note :

To make it easier to understand :

...-2.5,-2,-1, 0, 1, 2, 2.5...-> is real number

3.14 + 1.59i -> is complex number

3.23 + 8.46i + 2.64j + 3.38k -> is quaternion

The 1st dimension that represented by real numbers system is line.

The 2nd dimension that represented by complex number system are two-dimensional shapes (ex : rectangle, trapezoid)

The 3rd dimension that represented by adding one more imaginary dimension are three-dimensional shapes (ex : sphere, cube)

The 4th dimension that represented by adding two more imaginary dimension to complex number is timespace.

Quaternion is a four number system in the form of

q = a + bi + cj + dk

Where a , b , c , d are real numbers and i , j , k are "imaginary" unit hence why quaternion is also called "imaginary mathematics".

In Crowley's voice clip, he said :

Not only "imagination" is the key to use magic in Twisted Wonderland, this "imagination" might have relevance to something else as well but I'll skip this part for now and will explain it later in the last part. Just remember that this "imagination" is the key word to this theory and will guide you when you read further.

In 3D, 3 dimensional consist of 3 axis : length, width, and depth. In 4D, there's a fourth axis : Time.

Hamilton spent much of his life seeking a three-dimensional number system analogous to the complex numbers. He added two imaginary dimensions, (2.64j)and (3.38k) to the complex number (3.23 + 8.46i). Three imaginary dimensions describing spaces, and the real numbers sitting perpendicular to that in some kind of fourth dimension.

Hamilton said, if you take this time parameter out of these numbers, then the numbers would just keep rotating around － they won't go anywhere, like the characters rotating round and round the tea party, round and round the table.

“Ah! that accounts for it,” said the Hatter. “He won’t stand beating. Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he’d do almost anything you liked with the clock. For instance, suppose it were nine o’clock in the morning, just time to begin lessons: you’d only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time for dinner!”

(“I only wish it was,” the March Hare said to itself in a whisper.)

“That would be grand, certainly,” said Alice thoughtfully: “but then—I shouldn’t be hungry for it, you know.”

“Not at first, perhaps,” said the Hatter: “but you could keep it to half-past one as long as you liked.”

“Is that the way you manage?” Alice asked.

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. “Not I!” he replied. “We quarrelled last March—just before he went mad, you know—” (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare,) “—it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing

‘Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you’re at!’

You know the song, perhaps?”

“I’ve heard something like it,” said Alice.

“It goes on, you know,” the Hatter continued, “in this way:—

‘Up above the world you fly,

Like a tea-tray in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle—’”

Here the Dormouse shook itself, and began singing in its sleep “Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle—” and went on so long that they had to pinch it to make it stop.

“Well, I’d hardly finished the first verse,” said the Hatter, “when the Queen jumped up and bawled out, ‘He’s murdering the time! Off with his head!’”

“How dreadfully savage!” exclaimed Alice.

“And ever since that,” the Hatter went on in a mournful tone, “he won’t do a thing I ask! It’s always six o’clock now.”

A bright idea came into Alice’s head. “Is that the reason so many tea-things are put out here?” she asked.

“Yes, that’s it,” said the Hatter with a sigh: “it’s always tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things between whiles.”

“Then you keep moving round, I suppose?” said Alice.

“Exactly so,” said the Hatter: “as the things get used up.”

“But what happens when you come to the beginning again?” Alice ventured to ask.

“Suppose we change the subject,” the March Hare interrupted, yawning. “I’m getting tired of this. I vote the young lady tells us a story.”

Related to this scene, Hatter, Hare and Dormouse represent three terms of a quaternion, and the fourth term, Time, is absent because Hatter was upsetting the Time. Time won't allow those three to move past tea time and they can only move round the table in a loop, just like Hamilton attempts to calculate motion before the 4th dimension of time was added.

- Wool and Water - (Through the Looking Glass)

‘That’s the effect of living backwards,’ the Queen said kindly: ‘it always makes one a little giddy at first—’

‘Living backwards!’ Alice repeated in great astonishment. ‘I never heard of such a thing!’

‘—but there’s one great advantage in it, that one’s memory works both ways.’

‘I’m sure mine only works one way,’ Alice remarked. ‘I can’t remember things before they happen.’

‘It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,’ the Queen remarked.

‘What sort of things do you remember best?’ Alice ventured to ask.

‘Oh, things that happened the week after next,’ the Queen replied in a careless tone. ‘For instance, now,’ she went on, sticking a large piece of plaster on her finger as she spoke, ‘there’s the King’s Messenger. He’s in prison now, being punished: and the trial doesn’t even begin till next Wednesday: and of course the crime comes last of all.’

‘Suppose he never commits the crime?’ said Alice.

‘That would be all the better, wouldn’t it?’ the Queen said, as she bound the plaster round her finger with a bit of ribbon.

Alice felt there was no denying that. ‘Of course it would be all the better,’ she said: ‘but it wouldn’t be all the better his being punished.’

‘You’re wrong there, at any rate,’ said the Queen: ‘were you ever punished?’

‘Only for faults,’ said Alice.

‘And you were all the better for it, I know!’ the Queen said triumphantly.

‘Yes, but then I had done the things I was punished for,’ said Alice: ‘that makes all the difference.’

‘But if you hadn’t done them,’ the Queen said, ‘that would have been better still; better, and better, and better!’ Her voice went higher with each ‘better,’ till it got quite to a squeak at last.

Alice was just beginning to say ‘There’s a mistake somewhere—,’ when the Queen began screaming so loud that she had to leave the sentence unfinished. ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ shouted the Queen, shaking her hand about as if she wanted to shake it off. ‘My finger’s bleeding! Oh, oh, oh, oh!’

Her screams were so exactly like the whistle of a steam-engine, that Alice had to hold both her hands over her ears.

‘What is the matter?’ she said, as soon as there was a chance of making herself heard. ‘Have you pricked your finger?’

‘I haven’t pricked it yet,’ the Queen said, ‘but I soon shall—oh, oh, oh!’

‘When do you expect to do it?’ Alice asked, feeling very much inclined to laugh.

‘When I fasten my shawl again,’ the poor Queen groaned out: ‘the brooch will come undone directly. Oh, oh!’ As she said the words the brooch flew open, and the Queen clutched wildly at it, and tried to clasp it again.

‘Take care!’ cried Alice. ‘You’re holding it all crooked!’ And she caught at the brooch; but it was too late: the pin had slipped, and the Queen had pricked her finger.

‘That accounts for the bleeding, you see,’ she said to Alice with a smile. ‘Now you understand the way things happen here.’

The Wool and Water chapter from "Through the Looking Glass" is another chapter that gives a hint to Alice about time, particularly how time in the mirror world goes (it's moving backwards). Similar to how "A Mad Tea-Party" chapter in "Alice in Wonderland" does.

This chapter also mentioned the "King's Messenger" who is in prison and is being punished, which later in chapter "The Lion and The Unicorn" turns out to be "Hatta", the "Hatter" in "Through The Looking Glass" (and he is still drinking tea just like the "Hatter" in "Alice in Wonderland"). This chapter is the first time where Hatter (now Hatta) being mentioned in "Through The Looking Glass".

Mad Hatter, Crow, and Raven : The Key to Time is the Corvid

The first thing Hatter said when he met Alice for the first time was :

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Carroll said, all the riddles in his books aren't actually meant to be solved therefore he never gave an answer to it for the readers of his works. But interestingly later, from all of his riddles this one riddle became the only riddle that has an answer from Carroll himself since his readers were so persistent. Here's what he said :

Enquiries have been so often addressed to me, as to whether any answer to the Hatter's Riddle can be imagined, that I may as well put on record here what seems to me to be a fairly appropriate answer, viz:

'Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!' This, however, is merely an afterthought; the Riddle, as originally invented, had no answer at all.

He wasn't actually giving the answer, but he was giving a hint on how to solve the riddle by ourself.

The answer to the riddle is like his other poem riddles where each sentence has a single word meaning – a charade.

'Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat;'

This first sentence in a single word describes a ‘letter’.

'and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!'

The second sentence in a single word is simply ‘backwards’.

The word ‘Letter’ has a double meaning of one you send in the post or one in the alphabet.

When you read the letters in the word "nevar" in backwards, it will be "raven"

This answer related to Hatter's riddle on Carroll's first publication had never intentionally misspelt with a letter ‘a’ which is Raven spelt with the wrong end in front. He was describing the word ‘backwards’ in his second sentence just like his other charade poems.

Carroll is good at saying something with double meanings so the hint doesn't end there in the charade just like that. The second sentence, when you read the sentence just as it is 'and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!' with your focus on the word "nevar" means that "The wrong end in front isn't the same as the end in back"

This refers to the order of multiplication in quaternion which is non-commutative. Quaternion represents rotations and orientation happening to the four dimensional object in three dimensional space. Swapping the order on how you do the multiplication will changes the answer.

If you do the multiplication clockwise, it will gives you positive answer : i x j = k

If you do the multiplication counter-clockwise, it will gives you negative answer : j x i = -k

Hence in quaternion i x j is not the same as j x i

( i x j ≠ j x i )

This non-commutative order of multiplication in quaternion later implied by what Hatter said after he asked the riddle to Alice.

“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what I see’!”

“You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that ‘I like what I get’ is the same thing as ‘I get what I like’!”

“You might just as well say,” added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, “that ‘I breathe when I sleep’ is the same thing as ‘I sleep when I breathe’!”

“It is the same thing with you,” said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn’t much.

Additionally, in "Through The Looking Glass" (the scene in 'Wool and Water') where Alice finally realized how the time goes in the world behind the mirror was happened when a giant crow covered the sky so it feels like it's nighttime, and the crow goes away after White Queen explained how time goes in through the looking glass.

By this time it was getting light. ‘The crow must have flown away, I think,’ said Alice: ‘I’m so glad it’s gone. I thought it was the night coming on.’

The giant crow appeared at the last part of the previous chapter of Wool and Water, 'Tweedledum and Tweedledee'

It was getting dark so suddenly that Alice thought there must be a thunderstorm coming on. ‘What a thick black cloud that is!’ she said. ‘And how fast it comes! Why, I do believe it’s got wings!’

‘It’s the crow!’ Tweedledum cried out in a shrill voice of alarm: and the two brothers took to their heels and were out of sight in a moment.

Alice ran a little way into the wood, and stopped under a large tree. ‘It can never get at me here,’ she thought: ‘it’s far too large to squeeze itself in among the trees. But I wish it wouldn’t flap its wings so—it makes quite a hurricane in the wood—here’s somebody’s shawl being blown away!’

In 'Wool and Water' White Queen said to Alice:

‘I’m sure I’ll take you with pleasure!’ the Queen said. ‘Twopence a week, and jam every other day.’

Alice couldn’t help laughing, as she said, ‘I don’t want you to hire me—and I don’t care for jam.’

‘It’s very good jam,’ said the Queen.

‘Well, I don’t want any to-day, at any rate.’

‘You couldn’t have it if you did want it,’ the Queen said. ‘The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday—but never jam to-day.’

‘It must come sometimes to “jam to-day,”’ Alice objected.

‘No, it can’t,’ said the Queen. ‘It’s jam every other day: to-day isn’t any other day, you know.’

‘I don’t understand you,’ said Alice. ‘It’s dreadfully confusing!’

‘That’s the effect of living backwards,’ the Queen said kindly: ‘it always makes one a little giddy at first—’

She said 'That's the effect of living backwards'

If we look back at "A Mad Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland, these chapter are related to each other and those are :

‘Twopence a week, and jam every other day.’

The King’s Messenger (Hatta) who was in prison and being punished when this dialogue happened, White Queen said his trial doesn’t even begin till next Wednesday. Wednesday is the 3rd day of the week. If you multiply twopence by 3, you'll get 6 pence, which can be refered to the cost of the Hatter's hat, the price tag on the hat he wears. 10 shillings, 6 pence (10/6)

‘No, it can’t,’ said the Queen. ‘It’s jam every other day: to-day isn’t any other day, you know.’

The word 'jam' in english can also means 'stuck'. And in addition to the 6 in sixpence and how the White Queen talks about the King's messenger who is in prison afterwards, this is referring to the Hatter in 'Alice in Wonderland' who is stuck in time and becomes the prisoner of time, since he can't move past 6 o’clock (tea time)

And then the 'to-day isn’t any other day' part once again refers to the order of multiplication in quaternion which is non-commutative.

Interestingly In chapter 6 of twst, Crowley also get "arrested" to the Island of Woe along with overblot students and got stuck there. He is helpless and can't do anything about it. Just like Hatter in mad tea party and when Hatta is imprisoned.

Crowley's name, "Dire Crowley" was formed from the wordplay of Japanese katakana just like how Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are full of wordplay. When being translated to Japanese, his name becomes

" ディア・クロウリ"

read : "Dia Kurouri"

Crowley's first name, Dire, has been retconned to be pronounced as "Dia" for katakana wordplay that makes it extremely similar to "Diablo", the name of Maleficient's raven in Sleeping Beauty when being read.

ディアブロ = Diaboro (Diablo)

ディアクロ = Dia Kuro

The riddle "Raven like a writing desk", particularly the word "Raven" is the key that refers to the never-ending mad tea party. Is this why Crowley always says he is kind because the collective name for Ravens is an Unkindness which is also Hatter's personal remarks about Alice's hair?

The name "Dire Crowley" also contains the word "Crow" in it. In addition to the crow being a hint in Through The Looking Glass that refers back to the Mad Tea Party, in the chapter of "A Mad Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland, Hatter said :

“Well, I’d hardly finished the first verse,” said the Hatter, “when the Queen jumped up and bawled out, ‘He’s murdering the time! Off with his head!’”

Here the Hatter was being accused of 'murdering' the Time rather than just killing time, and hence the tea party being stopped at tea time. You know what is the collective noun for Crows? That's right, a murder of Crows.

Seeing how his name can form both "Crow" and "Raven", the key answer to the Mad Hatter riddle that relates to time and 4th dimension means that the key to another dimension (which also means a way for Yuu to go back home) is actually Crowley himself.

All this time, it's not that he doesn't know how to send Yuu back home and doesn't want to find a way for Yuu to go back. He knows from the very beginning ever since Yuu came to Twisted Wonderland because it was Crowley himself who summoned them. There's really no need for him to search a way for Yuu to go back to their world because he already knows. But just like every unique magic which has their own condition to work and its limitations no matter how powerful it is, Crowley's unique magic also has its limitations and can only be done in certain condition, which I'm going to explain later.

Also, if you didn't skip anything when you read this part, you will notice that Hatter/Hatta seems to always has trouble with laws. Just like Crowley does.

Crowley and His Connection to Blot : Mad Hatter Disease

The idiom “mad as a hatter” was around long before Carroll started writing. Colloquially used to describe an eccentric person, “mad as a hatter” is based on a problem that arose in the 1800s when hat companies used mercury in the hat-making process. The mercury got into their systems and they went insane, hence the term “mad as a hatter”.

The real milliners (hatters) in the old days used mercury at cluing the felt in hats making. During that process some of that mercury vaporized and the felt maker/ milliner accidently breathed some of that. And when they were exposed to mercury for many years it really started affecting them: skin began to pale down, nails began to gain some "yellowish" color, hair started to become fuzzy. Even pupils could become dilated. This is what later is called "Mad Hatter Syndrome/Disease"

The effect of Mercury on human bodies seems to be similar with overblot in Twisted Wonderland, since those who are overbloting will have change in their appearance (skin began to pale down), changes in behaviour and goes insane.

When this theory is written, we still don't know whether Lilia's magic is depleted because of old age or something else, but if it's because of old age, why does Crowley can still use magic in game (refer to Ortho's R vignette) while it seems like he is at the same age as Lilia or maybe even older?

Paler skin is one of the change in appearance for those who are overbloting. The fact that Crowley's skin tone is paler than even for normal faes (his skin shade is more of grayish rather than brownish when being compared to Malleus and Lilia) means that he might have been exposed to blot for a very long time just like the hatter in 1800s.

There're two possibilities why Crowley covers upper half of his face:

1. He is immortal.

This refers to Mad Hatter when he sings at the great concert given by Queen of Hearts and later accused for murdering the time by her. He should have been beheaded at that time, but somehow managed to escape and still alive and later having tea party with March Hare and Dormouse and can't move from there.

In "A Mad Tea Party" (chapter 7 of Alice in Wonderland) :

“Well, I’d hardly finished the first verse,” said the Hatter, “when the Queen jumped up and bawled out, ‘He’s murdering the time! Off with his head!’”

And in "Who Stole The Tarts" (chapter 11 of Alice in Wonderland) :

All this time the Queen had never left off staring at the Hatter, and, just as the Dormouse crossed the court, she said to one of the officers of the court, “Bring me the list of the singers in the last concert!” on which the wretched Hatter trembled so, that he shook both his shoes off.

2. It really is just my guess but if Crowley's magic has been depleted a long time ago just like Lilia, what if, the reason why even until now he can still uses magic is because he reuses magic excess, blot to perform magic and constantly poisoning himself with it just like hatters in 1800s?

As Mad Hatter, he might have immunity to blot just like Idia with his burning hair (his body can burn and cleanse blot) that it won't affect his mental state because his logic is already beyond comprehension and thus, technically he can't overblot (that's why he doesn't have phantom with him) since he is already "mad" even before he poisoned himself. But even though the blot doesn't affect his mental state, it still affects his body and his body starts to resemble those who overblot. His skin becomes paler, his lips turns black, and blot mark appears around his eyes so that he will need to cover it to hide it. That would also explain why in the prologue when he brought Yuu to Twisted Wonderland he says he is running out of time because his body is already at its limit.

Below is the explanation of blot by Crowley :

And explanation by Idia indicating that blot is a toxic substance.

Yeah, I know this is not the only explanation from Idia about blot. I chose this one for this part because even though I want to explain further since there's still something more about Crowley I need to explain, Tumblr decided to say no as I can't upload more photos(already reaching its limit). I want to explain my personal opinion about Crowley's intention based on my endless research on him for years but I guess this is it.

End Note : Originally I intended to explain it in one go and finish it all here in this part because it still connected to each other but I guess I'll still need to split it into two parts. I promise I'll explain the rest on the last part of this theory/analysis. Besides I'm afraid I might really break your brain if I do explain it all in one go so this is all for now.

[lovemebutleavemewild]

Leave it to the land - Chapter 4

The world has ended, it's over—except some people can't seem to accept that. Those same people think the cure lies in people like you and your little sister. And they're willing to do anything to find it.

The road to safety is a long one, and you're about to learn that it isn't one you can walk alone.

Read it on ao3.

Officially the longest thing I've written for ao3 - thanks for the love!

Tag list: @elentiyaiswriting

You all relax a little once you're out of the city. The order still prevails: Soap still up front, though not as far ahead as he was before, you and Dot, then Ghost behind. He's so quiet, you sometimes have to look back to check that he's still there. You do this until one time you make eye contact with him for a second—after that, you force yourself not to look.

You're trying to act normal and not like you want to kill them both—after all, you need their guards’ to be down when you and Dot make a run for it. The easiest way you can think to do that is by being quiet. The others seem happy to follow your lead, at least for the first while.

“Hey, what's that stuck to your horse's head?”

You're so startled by this question that you forget being mad for a second. You look up at Soap to see him pointing, not at you, but at Dot. You look down at her and see that she's pulled her soft unicorn teddy from her bag. She blinks at him, then looks at you, down at the toy, then back at Soap.

“It's her horn,” she says, so quietly you can barely hear her. Soap slows a little and leans down to hear her better. You tense up.

“Didn't know horse's had horns,” he says seriously.

“She's not a horse!” Dot’s voice is stronger now, and shocked. “She's a unicorn!”

“Och, aye! That makes sense. What's ‘er name?”

“Peggy,” Dot tells him. “It's for Pegasus. That's a famous unicorn.”

“Is it, aye? That's a good name. But you tell her, I'm keeping an eye on her now.” Soap wags a finger. “No horsin’ around.”

Behind you, Ghost snorts. Soap glances at you, the corners of his mouth twitching, trying to get you in on the joke. You want to turn your head away but you make yourself smile at him instead.

“She's not a horse, I said,” Dot says indignantly.

“Och, I know, wee’yun, I'm just messin’.”

Dot seems a bit more relaxed after that, around Soap at least, and you're not sure if you're glad or not. Of course, you don't want her to be scared all the time, but you don't want her to let her guard down either.

You walk for a few hours without encountering another soul, living or dead. When it gets dark, you set up camp. Unlike you, Ghost and Soap both have tents, but once they've lit a fire, you don't mind too much. You put Dot in the sleeping bag again—it's been a while since you've walked so much and she falls asleep almost instantly. You take a seat next to her, close to the fire, with the two men.

You take some tins from your bag—they've lost their labels but when you crack them open, you find what looks like pork and beans. You check the date stamped on the bottom to be sure it won't make either of you sick. You're not fully sure of the exact date, of course, but you can tell these are at least a year from going bad. You try not to think about how, in your humble opinion, meat shouldn't have an expiry date that long. Instead you prop it among the embers, close to the flames to heat it up.

Once they're cooked through, you wake Dot and coax her to eat, then wolf down your own can.

“I can take first watch tonight,” you tell Soap and Ghost. You pretend not to see them glance at one another.

Soap shrugs after a second.

“Thanks, mate—shout if you need us” he tells you, then claps a hand on Ghost's shoulder, before heading into his tent.

When Ghost doesn't follow him, you tilt your head.

“You can go too, you know. I've got this,” you tell him, trying hard not to sound defensive.

“Not tired,” he grunts.

“Fine,” you say through clenched teeth. You purposely turn your back to him, keeping your eyes on the trees.

A few hours later, he stands up and you think he's finally going to bed. You don't turn around.

“Alrigh’ hen?”

You turn around and furrow your eyebrows when you see Soap. Then realisation dawns—Ghost must have woken him before he went to his own tent. He doesn't trust you to keep watch on your own.

You set your jaw again. It makes sense that he wouldn’t trust you when you barely know each other, but you can't help but think of your freakout on the roof, and the look in his eyes when you ran into him at the safehouse, and wonder if he thinks you’re weak. Not that you care.

Soap tries to talk to you some more but your responses are pretty short and eventually he settles in to take watch in silence, giving you plenty of time to stew on the fact that, so far, your attempts at getting Ghost to let his guard down are failing.

The next morning passes much the same as the previous day. You find yourself yawning and rubbing your eyes often, and don't notice when you start to trail behind Dot and Soap.

“Ghost,” Soap's voice breaks the morning silence like a gunshot and your eyes flick to him immediately, just in time to see him grab Dot, shove a hand over her mouth and pull her away.

You open your mouth to scream at him, and manage one step before you're being pulled backwards. You’re falling for a second and then feel wetness on your feet. Ghost has pulled you into a creek, and he's dragging you still, into a small alcove in the bedrock. You struggle against him but you're no match against his bulk.

“What are you-” you manage before he puts a hand over your mouth.

“Shut up,” he growls, right in your ear. “And stop wriggling—they'll hear you.”

That makes you freeze, and now that you're not focused fully on him, you hear other, new noises. Footsteps. Worse still, they're followed by voices, which means they're not tier fives.

You grab his hand and pull it from your mouth and he lets you, even if he doesn't let you go completely.

“Dot,” you gasp out, fear making your voice raspy.

“She's with Soap, he's got her.”

That shouldn't make you feel better, all evidence pointing to not being able to trust either of them, but it does. Better the devil you know, springs to your mind.

You stand there for what feels like hours. The alcove is big enough for you to stand up straight, but Ghost has to bend his back slightly. Your back is to his front, so close you can feel the way his body burns against yours.

After an age, the footsteps and voices move away. You start to move as well, but a hand on your arm stops you. And then Ghost points.

You follow his direction and look to see a group of people on the other side of the creek. You shrink back further against him. There's some greenery hanging in front of the alcove that gives you both a bit of cover but even from this distance you can see the men are armed. Worse still, they've got patches on their arms and even though it's too far to see the details, you know it well from your years at the centre.

Sentries.

For the first time, your hand slips into your pocket and you pull out your knife, hand wrapped tightly around it. It takes another age but finally, they do move away. You feel the tightness in your chest lift slightly and let out a long breath.

This time, when you step away, Ghost makes no move to stop you.

He's looking at you weirdly and you see him glance down at your knife. You close it and stuff it back in your pocket.

“What?” you ask defensively. He doesn't say anything, just moves past you. That's when you remember Dot.

You scramble out behind him, pulling yourself up out of the water and looking around frantically. You resist the urge to shout for her, knowing it’ll only attract attention.

“She's there.” Your head whips around to see that Ghost is pointing again, in the opposite direction this time and you turn to see Dot running towards you, Soap loping behind her.

You fall to your knees as she slams into you, and you pull her close, your hands on her back, her hair, checking that she's really there, and okay.

You slowly become aware of Soap and Ghost watching the two of you and stand up. You don't even glance at Ghost, but you look Soap straight in the eyes.

“Thanks for looking out for her.”

“No bother,” he says easily and you're grateful that he doesn't make a big deal of it, even if you're abjectly aware that this is now another thing you owe him for.

“We should move on, put some space between us and them.”

You nod and the four of you move off in the opposite direction from the sentries, this time with your hand tight on Dot’s shoulder.

Another few hours and you can feel yourself cracking up. You haven't slept more than a few hours in almost three days and you've been walking all day.

On top of that, you're almost out of food for you and Dot and there's not much to scavenge out here. Worrying about what will happen after you run out of food is another thing to add to an already long list.

You're even worse at hiding your mood tonight than you were last night, though the warmth you show to Soap comes a little more naturally now.

He takes the first watch that night and this time you talk to him, quietly and not about anything in particular. He tells terrible jokes but his accent and turns of phrase make you laugh. After a few hours, he tells you he's going to wake Ghost, and tries to convince you to get some sleep.

“Can't stay awake forever, hen, you must be wrecked. Ghost’ll warn us if there's bother.”

You just smile and tell him you're not tired, that you'll sleep soon.

Ghost takes a seat further away than Soap did and neither of you speak for a long time. You switch between watching the trees and watching Dot, stroking her hair absentmindedly.

“You're not doing her any favours, you know.” You startle a bit, then settle, still not looking in Ghost's direction.

“Excuse me?” you say, forcedly polite.

“Not sleeping’s only gonna make you lose focus and make stupid mistakes.”

“Thanks for the advice,” you tell him in a clipped voice. He's quiet for another few minutes.

“What was your plan today anyway? You and a pocket knife against five sentries?” His voice is mocking and you tense up.

“If it came to it. You'd prefer me to hand myself and Dot over quietly, would you?”

“Better than getting yourself killed.”

“That's your opinion, you’re entitled to it.”

You can feel his eyes burning holes in your side and this time you meet his eyes and refuse to look away.

“Maybe I will get some sleep,” you tell him. He tilts his head at you but you ignore it.

You climb in next to Dot and pull the sleeping bag over your head.

You don't mean what you said, have no intention of falling asleep—you just can't stand sitting next to Ghost anymore, feeling his eyes on you. Your eyes feel itchy with tiredness, though. Maybe you'll just rest them for a second …

“I’m very happy with the results. I think she’ll be a great subject for the new phase.”

He thinks you're asleep. To be fair, you're on such a strong cocktail of drugs, it's a close thing, and you're fighting hard to stay conscious. You don't think he'd be saying this if he knew you were awake.

“How did you choose the subjects, Doctor Argylle?” The intern’s voice is breathy, worshipful even. If your eyes were open, you'd roll them.

“We know that some tier two subjects show a natural ability to suppress the disease, to some extent. Among those, some have responded well to our efforts to enhance that resistance. I believe that by combining the genes of these subjects, we can unlock the key to a cure.”

Your heart is pounding and you have to make a conscious effort to keep your breathing even. Combining the genes? He can't possibly mean what you think he means by that.

“Have you chosen a subject for the … combination?” a different intern asks.

“Not yet. This subject is exceptional—we need to take our time, ensure the other half of the … equation is equally as promising. However, once we've found them, we can move ahead with fertilisation very quickly indeed.”

You really wouldn't be able to keep feigning sleep at that point, but thankfully you hear them leaving, probably to continue their rounds.

Your chest feels tight in your chest, and your mind is racing. But the drugs are still churning though your veins and you’re feeling groggier by the second.

“Kyle,” you think. “I need to talk to Kyle.”

That thought is the only one to bring you comfort as you finally slip under.

[watertribe-enya]

What are your thoughts on Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist (manga/Brotherhood)?

I have many thoughts on Scar, because I love him to pieces. Best character in both anime and manga

One thing that bothers me even among people who are staunchly pro "Scar did nothing wrong (except the one time when he was completely out of it due to immense trauma)" and "Scar should have been allowed to kill more people" , is that they completely overlook that Scar just doesn't enjoy killing people. He does it because he feels that those who denied his people the right to live would never face justice for their actions otherwise. And also because he's really, really mad at them of course. Actually the part about justice might be moreso the fandom's view of it, and Scar's desire for vengeance is his primary motivation(when you look at what he said while fleeing through the desert). So Scar feels he's doing what is necessary, but he doesn't usually take enjoyment out of it. The closest he came to show glee during a fight was when Mustang showed up to intervene in chapter 7/ episode 5. And that was more grim satisfaction than anything. He doesn't even show any joy when mangling Envy and Kimblee, who kickstarted the genocide and brutally murdered his family. Every action is trenched in anger, and that anger is born from tremendous pain and loss.

So Scar doesn't want to kill (or at least doesn't want his whole life to be centered arround it). He wants to protect. He wants to do something for his community, his people. But for the longest time he felt that he had lost the chance to do so forever. His immense relief at finding out how many Ishvalans had actually survived was wonderful to behold.

Now you might say "But he's doing the right thing by killing those unrependant war criminals! He shouldn't feel bad about it!" And while that's correct (at least from my perspective) you have to look at Scar's other circumstances too. It's not an enjoyable life if you spent your days solely focused on the people who brutalized you. And Scar is doing it all alone, with no help or support system. With no breaks from the struggle for survival and recurring death battles. It's good that he stopped killing (outside of the necessary battles), not because Edward and the other good guys kept whining at him, but for his own sake. Because he finally feels he's actually doing something for the people he loves again.

Anyhow, how painful is it that Scar who was afraid about his brother creating or turning into a human weapon via alchemy, became exactly that?

"Your brother may discover a way to gain enough power to face those state alchemists, and perhaps even enough to destroy their army. With power that far surpasses theirs, to retalitate against them with alchemy! Make them pay for their sins with blood!'

I'm crying.

Another great thing about Scar is that you can guilt trip this thirty something, hardened warrior with "You'll make your brother sad." And he has no proper reply for that.

To end this with my personal headcanon, Scar outlives all the remaining State Alchemists sans Edward, and dies aged 103 surrounded by his 20 grandchildren.

[yourmomsgranddad]

— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

— CHAPTER FIVE: You'll change your name, or change your mind and leave this fucked up place behind but I'll know, I'll know

— SUMMARY: The last day of summer and the trouble that followed it.

— WARNINGS: part of it told through reader's pov (sorry this is the last time i'm doing this promise), might be the longest chapter so far, sexual themes, no actual smut, the title has a curse word in it?

"And you're sure you want to know?"

"Positive."

You were now sitting in Kate's room, she figured you should be in private for this story.

"Alright. It started on the morning of our last day."

I had woken up early because I wanted to get a start on the day. We had so many things to do and not a lot of time to do it.

I went downstairs and my mom was not having the best time, considering my dad was on his way out. I went up to her to see what was going on but she brushed me off, going back to her drink.

I was worried about her but not enough to stop her. So I moved on.

I went over to your house, we went to the arcade, and completed the end of the list. The day was great. Everything was going to plan and we were so ecstatic about school.

But then I went home.

I was just going to grab my jumper so we could ride bikes. But when I returned home, everything was everywhere. All of the drawers in the kitchen were pulled out, all of my mom's clothes were on the floor and she was sitting in the middle of the floor, crying.

She told me my dad filed for divorce. He didn't want to be with her anymore and he blamed it on me. Said it was because he saw me and you kissing that night.

She got so mad at me. She said she wasn't ashamed but she didn't like the way my dad was looking at me different. I didn't notice, they were good at hiding it.

She kept pretending like she didn't blame me but I could tell, I was a kid but I wasn't stupid.

Then she dropped the bomb on me.

In less than 2 hours, a moving truck was going to come to my house and pull me away from you. She didn't care. She wanted so desperately for us to be apart. I mean, we broke up her marriage.

It was only fair.

And you remember what happened after that.

You came over, looking for me, my eyes were geysers. And my mom shoved me into the car before I could give you a true goodbye.

"All of that happened? How come I never noticed?" She was stunned, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"We were kids. And I didn't want to pull you into it. Just because my parents blamed you doesn't mean I did. I love you, Kate. And nothing my parents say could ever change that. My dad was gross anyway."

She wanted to laugh at your joke but you dropped a big ass bomb on her, she had to process it, little by little.

And you definitely looked like you didn't want to laugh. You had been carrying this with you forever, by yourself. Before she could stop herself, she reached forward and wrapped you in a tight, warming hug.

You wanted to cry but you just felt numb. It happened so long ago, you couldn't cry now. You already let it all out that day.

"I am so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't cause it."

You meant that. Sure, your dad claimed he didn't want the two of you making out, it grossed him out. But you didn't care. He was out of your life and that's where he was going to stay.

You wanted so bad to go home, bury yourself in your own blanket, and be completely mad at your mother for a reason she didn't remember.

But Kate insisted you stay. She didn't want you to be by myself at this time. And she was right.

Having Kate by your side did kind of help all the bad things you were feeling inside. You kind of went back to that moment, trapped in that car with your mom who didn't care that you had tears running down your face. But Kate sat there, made sure you stayed in the present.

She was very good at that.

You decided to stay quiet for the night, no television, just listening to each other's heartbeats. That's happened before.

It was like you did jump back into the past but you two were so close and in your own world, you couldn't be hurt by any of the outside that was trying to hit you.

You could be like this forever.

Your little bubble bursted in the morning when Kate woke up and you were no longer there. She was about to be sad about it when she realized, you're an adult. You didn't need to tell Kate where you were going.

But luckily you did.

Hey, thanks for the comfort last night. I really needed it. You're the bestest friend any girl could ever ask for. Sorry for the abrupt leaving, had to get to work. Thanks again. P.S, this is Y/n by the way.

Something about that note burned in Kate's insides. She liked that you left a note but she somehow didn't like the contents.

Bestest friend? Why was she so broken up about these words? I mean you were best friends, then why did it hurt? There was a twinge in her brain, like a migraine was already forming.

Great.

And that's not the last she heard of those words today.

Later on in the day, she was trying to enjoy her lunch when all the sudden, a grating voice had to come out of nowhere.

Wow, best friends? That's what she thinks of you. It's like she could never see you in a romantic sense. That must burn, dude. That. Must. Burn.

She wished she could stop her brain from going there but here she was, in the middle of lunch, looking like a crazy person who was talking to herself.

Things could not get worse.

Oh, but they can.

She went to pick you up from work, like she normally did and she did not expect to see what she saw.

She found you at the receptionist's desk, giggling and all over closet guy. Her stomach curdled at the sight and she almost wanted to barf. Nope, she definitely wanted to. But she had to keep it in.

That would be the second most embarrassing thing to happen to her in this office.

She was about to escape, tell you she wasn't going to be able to make it today but sadly, you saw her and her plan was thwarted.

"Kate! There you are! I want you to meet someone." You grabbed her hand, pulling her over to where you were currently standing. "This is my boyfriend, Zack."

She didn't think she could find a pair of words she hated more than best friend. Turns out she could.

Boyfriend.

Gross.

She wants to bring it up, more than anything. She has so many questions on her mind. How did you meet? What made you want to date? Was it serious? I mean it had to be if you were introducing him to her.

Luckily, you brought it up first.

"So you've been extra quiet since we got here. What's going on? Do you feel weird about Zack? I shouldn't have introduced him to you this early. I don't think it's that serious yet."

There's one question answered.

"It's just I didn't know you guys were on the dating stage. I thought it was just a meaningless hook-up, you know, the way it looked."

"It looked meaningless?"

She noticed the look on your face, down and confused, kind of disappointed. She wanted to take it back immediately. "No! I didn't mean it like that."

"But that's what you said."

"No! I-"

"I think I should go."

You slipped off of her bed and were gone quicker than she could stop you. She felt like this was all her fault.

It was, Bishop. Her brain could not stay out of this conversation, no matter how hard she tried to turn it off.

It was a few days after the fact and Kate still felt like shit. She didn't want to ruin your relationship, she wanted you to be happy. Even if that wasn't with her.

But for some reason, she couldn't get in touch with you. She texted, no answer. She called, no answer. She showed up at the office, you had just left.

You were basically avoiding her.

And she had just realized.

So she stopped bothering you, maybe it was for the best.

However, that didn't last long.

Kate was chilling, working out in her sort-of living room when she heard a banging on the door. She was stressed, she went to grab her bow, what if it was a bad guy? Wait, why would he knock?

"Kate, open up! It's me!"

She dropped it so quickly, sprinting to the door. You didn't even give her a greeting before bursting in. "So what's going o-"

"I broke up with him."

Well, that came out of nowhere, Kate thought.

And now her brain was chiming in. Wow, breaking up your best friend with her boyfriend? That's a new low.

"Why?" She tried to shut the voice out as much as possible, not give it the satisfaction of bothering her. "Turns out I was plummeting into a relationship that I didn't care about. I didn't even know his name."

"But-"

You shook your head very slowly, giving her the hint. "Ohhh."

"Yeah, wasn't the best girlfriend."

A sudden silence fell upon the two of you until Kate just bursted into laughter. "How long were you calling him Zack until he corrected you?"

"A long time!"

You joined her in her laughter. "I feel bad! He was so patient."

It wasn't long before you both retired to Kate's bed, stuffing your face with gummy worms and watching Game of Thrones. "I still don't understand this show." Kate mentioned, squinting as if she couldn't see.

"Isn't that Ellie from the Last of Us?"

"Yes I think it is."

You snorted, going to pause it. "Why do we watch this show? We don't understand what's going on." You wondered. "Because, Y/n, this is the show of our friendship."

"And it's the show that was playing when we made out."

"How do you do that?" Kate shouted out of nowhere, causing you to look at her with a crazy smile. "Do what, Katie?"

"Go into my brain and find out what I'm thinking about."

"Two reasons. One, I'm your best friend, it's my job. And secondly, it's a core memory. When you have your first kiss, you remember everything about the moment forever. What you were wearing, what the other person was wearing, what was playing, how it felt, and what you did afterwards. Also who you told. But I had no one since you were my best friend."

She was taken aback for a second, she didn't think you thought about it as much as she did. I mean she did remember the comment you made about it being the best kiss you ever had but she didn't think you knew all that.

"And do you know all that stuff?" She was cautious, moving into uncharted territory but as prepared as possible.

"We were both wearing pajamas, Game of Thrones, and we went to sleep afterward." You shrugged it off, as if it wasn't sending Kate for a whirlwind.

"You forgot something."

"What's that, Kate?"

"How did it feel?"

She hadn't finally realized how close you were, your breath were basically fans on her cheeks. Which she definitely needed since she was burning up. And your eyes were going down, toward her lips.

Oh. She finally understood.

"Well I wouldn't know. It happened so long ago. Maybe we should recreate-" She didn't even let you finish before her mouth was on yours, pushing you down into her bed.

Kate knew what she was doing. She knew you two were kissing but it took a few seconds for her brain to catch up.

Kate, what is wrong with you?! What are you doing?

All of that yelling made her break off, sitting back up and going back to relish in the awkwardness.

"Sorry." She muttered.

You sat up and looked at her, but not with the look she was expecting. You had a smirk on your face. Huh?

"Kate, you don't have anything to apologize for."

You slowly started leaning and all of Kate's thoughts were going all at once. But one thing she did know for sure, she definitely wanted to kiss you again.

It felt like forever but you finally let your lips touch hers. It was the softest thing ever, you were very delicate. It was almost like you didn't want to break her.

But before you knew it, the kiss got rougher, most passionate. You found yourself on top of her.

Things happened so fast, Kate couldn't grasp them.

Clothes went flying, blankets started moving, and Kate knew for sure her neighbors hated her.

As soon as it ended, you knew what happened.

"Woah," was the first thing Kate said as you both laid back down, calming down.

"Yeah." You replied, completely unsure what was going on.

"Did we-"

"Yup."

Nice one, Kate. Nice one.

[worldismyne]

Kirona fics recs.

"@worldismyne thank you! I'll check it out! Yeah, I'd love some recs. I prefer Crona as a boy (trans or cis) but I still like fics with them as non-binary or a girl."

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Alright, it's been a hot minute since I read some of these, so any ff.net recs are vaguely remembered through rose color glasses, but they def left an impact on me.

Masc recs...

The Lycan and the Vampire (T - Incomplete)

Summary: Crona is a lycan via bitten. Kidd is a vampire by birth. Kidd hates the lycans. Crona doesn't know how to deal with a vampire. Male!CronaXKidd. Rated T for sexual references mentioned mostly by a Lycan

Review: I am paranormal romance cringe. I remember this fic being the first I remembered when thinking of good MxM Kirona. The AU was fairly well world built as well.

Kid x Crona : Hades and Persephone (G - Hiatus)

Summary: Have you ever wondered if there was more to the story of Hades and Persephone? That there was more than what was said in stone?

Review: This is a mythology AU. I just got started with this one, but I'm a sucker for greek mythology. Seems pretty cute so far.

The Difference Between Us (M - Incomplete)

Summary: An ongoing Death the Kid x Male!Crona fanfic. Kid shows Crona what it means to be loved. Slow paced and many chapters long.

Review: tldr, have not read this one, 1st person is not my jam. But, the people for people who do like it (according to other reviews) it's got solid characterization and is a decent long fic to settle in with.

NB recs...

Beneath All the Hate and Despair (T - Incomplete)

Summary: Even after switching sides and making peace with most of Maka's friends, Crona has a rocky transition into Kid's good graces. Things get even more difficult when traces of Medusa crop up. An exploration of two wildly different but curiously similar people that come closer together. Mostly canon compliant, but an AU of sorts. NB Crona. (Revamped fic)

Review - This is the OG for me, and by that I mean how young me found out about they/them pronouns. (I didn't really get it at the time, but I still read the whole thing AND the author went back 10 years later to do another copy edit once they had more expirence. Mad respect.)

Stir the Cauldron (T - Updating)

My summery: A continuation of the manga where Kid uses his new powers to help save Crona.

Review - Really nice getting to see Kid adjust to being the new Lord Death, the internal dialogue is really on point. Bonus points for addressing Ragnarok and having Crona be artificially made (gotta be one my fav HC).

Devestation Rots (NR - Complete)

Summary: In which Kid is shattered by the loss of two people very important to him.

Review: Cute hurt/comfort two-shot. Bonus points for Liz/Patty + Kid in a sibling dynamic.

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I read mostly fem!Chrona longfics way back. So The Birth of Scelus the Kishen and Child Born of Love are the absolute classic longfics that have survived (I could have sworn there were four or five others, they may have been deleted). But both of them are complete and rated T. I have 0 clue how well they've held up, but they got me through many a class and roadtrip growing up.

There is 10 pages of fics on ff.net (the ship predates the ship filter feature. So just pop in romance into genre and only have them as the listed characters). There used to be more, but like I said, people like to delete their old stuff.

キックロ or Kikkuro is the ship name in Japanese if you ever want to look for art on other sites. I know there were a few doujins back in the day, but very few were translated to English at the time.

It's so interesting to see a ship that used to be in the main trifecta of ships fall out of favor. I'm mostly writing for other ships now too, so I'm not complaining lol.

Daughter of Madness is the longest fic I ever wrote and now with the sequel, they've fully transitioned from she/her egg to they/them god X'D

I still love these two together in any interpretation. So if you ever get brainrot or wanna talk headcanons, my inbox is open lol.

EDIT 10 Pages of fics when browsing on mobile, 28 if you're on web.

[imaginespazzi]

SOMEONE(you) COOKED HERE. WOWEEEE Mommy HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN THIS REVIEW THIS IS YOUR MAGNUM OPUS. Also sorry this is so late, work is crazy and all of my favorite fics updated last week. Do you, pb524830, and pboogerswbb have some kind of conspiracy to release on the same date?

May 2033 ~ A few minutes ago ~ (YA I WISH IT WAS ONLY A FEW MINUTES BETWEEN CHAPTERS AS WE'VE BEEN IN PAIN)

Stephie is so fucking cute I can't handle it. Just picturing her in a huge bed covered in a hoodie saying “Go away Mama. I’m mad at you,” I can picture her so vividly

"A craving to have Paige there too, a craving for the two of them to be cradled in the blonde’s strong arms, a craving for this almost perfect picture to be complete." -> Azzi lets get real your arms are much stronger than hers lol

Have I mentioned that you have made me do a complete 180 on Azzi -I lowkey didn't really love her early in the story (blasphemy I know). You know how to build a character arc thats for sure.

"they’ve always been hers." -> Ok this made me think about the phone call on Paige's wedding day and with the context we have now that is low key so gut wrenching for Azzi.

“she’s like family?” -> GIRL SHE YOUR DADDY

The verbiage of 'keep miss buecks forever' is making me laugh I am picturing her in a little closet under the stairs like harry potter 🧙🏿‍♂️

“how you don’t know?" -> I cry 😭😭😭😭😭

April 2027 - You know I'm always excited for some juicy Olivia content.

"The thing is that Azzi knows she can survive -can even succeed- without Paige- but she doesn’t want to." -> hmm I am wondering if this is a little glimpse into some of her reasoning for turning down the proposal. That she might cease to have her own identity and accomplishments recognized, a fear that she would be known as Paige's WAG and nothing more? Something Olivia was super happy to be known as 🤣

Ice's excitement about Azzi's plan is crushing me

Just a little while longer baby. I’m coming to you. Forever. -> TOO LATE BITCH

The glazing of Paige's hotness this chapter- those unrivaled ads really got to you eh? I mean I guess its not glazing if its true!

Oooh finally some Polivia action. Sex scene please🤣🍑🍑

May 2033 - No notes!

Wow this has really been the longest day ever

This conversation is so cathartic thank god finally

I have no notes on this conversation because it was very satisfying and honest and both of them have valid points lol

May 2027 - Tristan and Olivia should get together it feels right

Ok it has always made me laugh when you get asks being like HOW WAS STEPHIE MADE.. as if it would be anything but a one night stand with a dude

Sometimes you need to get laid in a drunken rage, and sometimes a penis is just right there 🤷🏻‍♀️

Azzi… keeping a baby because you don't want to be lonely is very much not a reason to keep a baby. I mean it worked out for ya but jesus christ!

Alright so I am so happy we finally got the reveal of this sequence of events… I think I pretty much predicted that Azzi getting pregnant was a direct result of her finding out about Olivia, but I absolutely LOVE how you added the factor of her deciding to keep the baby because of the engagement announcement. Just adding another way Paige is pretty much responsible for Stephie's existence. WHEN IT COMES TO 5 YEAR OLD STEPHIE, PAIGE, YOU ARE THE FATHER (crowd screams, Maury shakes Paige's hand)

One thing I was curious about - when we first meet Olivia after P's goodbye presser, she talks about how Paige kept them on the DL for months because she didn't want Azzi to find out and wanted to tell her first. Does Paige think the engagement announcement was Azzi's first time hearing about Olivia? Did she not give her a heads up in between Azzi seeing her with O and the announcement? Cold blooded 😬

Ok this was far too long and I have nothing left to say except the ending of this did leave me feeling optimistic, whereas the cliffhangers leave me feeling empty and sad lol. I vote Paige makes her decision quickly and the rest of the story is pure fluff the end bye love ya. 🤱🏻🤱🏻🤱🏻

OMG BABES I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU! I figured you were busy and I wouldn't get a live reaction this time but I'm so happy you're here <3

And lmao no we don't plan it but great minds and all that I guess...

Okay starting by calling me out....I see

Stephie is the actual loml like I'm so attached to this little kid

You're right, you're right Azzi's arms are definitely stronger but hey Paige's are pretty nice too

Awwww I'm glad I've been able to write Azzi in a way that made you like her again. She's definitely changed a lot in the last couple of chapters and has grown as a person in this fic.

Paige is really just Stephie's pet she wants to adopt

I like your break up theory :)

I'm just a girl who likes pretty girls...thank you Phee and Stewie for those ads

POLIVIA OH MY GOD DON'T MAKE ME GAG. Just writing them all cute made me gag a little, I couldn't do anything more without offing myself.

Writing the chapter was pretty cathartic; felt like a long time coming for them.

Listen as much as it pained me to write about a man....it was inevitable like truly nothing else was gonna make sense to the plot.

Never say Azzi hasn't made spontaneous extreme decision in her life...she will simply point to her fucking child.

At the end of the day, not by blood, but but destiny or fate or something like those things, Stephie exists because of Paige. They're tethered your honor.

Yes it was but that's not necessarily how Paige wanted it to happen.

[angelofthepage]

I don't know if this has already been answered but what got you interested in bendy

Hey there Anon, hope you're doing well! Thanks for the question! I love getting to tell this story. So, I have told this story before, it's actually most of the first chunk of this video here, but I'd like to tell it again.

I got into Bendy in part because of the nerdcore community. Fan songs were something I'd never really been exposed to, and hearing Can't Be Erased for the first time over a discord call with some friends is what initially piqued my interest. When I found the original music video for it and saw Sammy for the first time, I was so curious as to what his deal was based on design alone. Everything else in this world looked like a cartoon made monstrous, but he looked human at his core, and that was interesting in a really odd contrasted way. It was enough to get me to watch the first two chapters in a friend's Let's Play. Little did I know I would end up utterly obsessed with this thing for the next seven years. XD The art style, the world, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before in a game. It was magical.

I often say that Bendy is a story that came into my life right when I needed it. I was a struggling college student that just broke out of the longest relationship I'd ever held, and I didn't have a lot of friends. I felt worthless, used up like a tissue, utterly alone. My art was struggling, I didn't think I'd ever make it anywhere, that I could ever be a good artist. And then this story comes along and shows me a cast of characters that suffered, so much. The whole story is about how Joey hurt so many people, and there was something that clicked for me, especially with Sammy, Susie, and Henry, that made me say "I don't want this for myself." I saw myself in these characters, I saw people that were destroyed, taken advantage of, driven to madness to the point of no return. And I just wanted to hug and comfort them. I wanted to reach out and tell them that it wasn't true. Susie, you are beautiful, you always have been. And Joey is a fool not to see it. Sammy, it's not worth suffering for a monster that doesn't care about you. There's got to be a better way. Henry...this isn't your fault. You stood up for yourself, you don't deserve to suffer because you set a boundary and took care of you. This didn't happen because of you, this would've happened regardless because Joey has no care for others. Who could've known he'd go this far?

And I think...a big part of what hooked me and why I have such sympathetic takes on this cast is we had a really passionate fanbase that wrote that way. Henry blaming himself for all of this is absolutely a fanon thing, and it hurt me. Seeing fans explore these characters and be unafraid to experiment made me feel like maybe I had a place here. My previous experiences were all in the Sonic fandom, with a small hint of Pokemon and Kingdom Hearts. People I knew were gatekeepy, rude when you tried to deviate from the canon, and trashed every game before they even came out. It was exhausting to be amongst people that were so miserable (and that's not to say the entire fandom is, I've since met way better people over in the Sonic world). I was tired of not being allowed to be experimental. I was tired of having to hold back my excitement because it made me a "trash fan". Bendy wasn't like that to start, our fandom was so excited to vibe and have a good time with a whole slew of concepts. And it didn't matter how canon or not the stuff you played with was, all that mattered was that we were having a good time telling stories. That's what attracted me to it. That's why I continue to write a fanfiction that very much has the vibes of the early Bendy fandom. People were having fun with this thing I liked, and I very cautiously wanted to try again and join in. And over the years, there's been an ebb and flow where I've had some really great communities, and some friends that I'm so grateful to know.

Anon, I don't know what compelled you to send your ask in, but thank you, I'm really glad you did. I think you just helped me answer something that's been plaguing me for a bit. I want to get back to the fun of just vibing with Bendy.

[holy3cake]

Twenty Questions For Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @lord-aldhelm! :)

1. how many works do you have on AO3? 47, and some of these were absolute fever dreams lmao.

2. what's your total AO3 word count? 297,357 (some of these are multi-chapter, but my current TLK fic is set to be the longest one chapter and word wise)

3. what fandoms do you write for? This doesn't cover all of the fandoms of my AO3 because I wrote a random mixture when I was younger but my main ones currently are:

The Last Kingdom

Saw

13 Reasons Why

FNAF

I've done a few random ones like Sex Ed, Squid Game, TMR, AOTD but the ones above are the main ones I try to stick to!

4. top five fics by kudos:

Your Dreams are my Reality (FNAF)

Don't ever betray me again (Squid Game)

Take Care of me? (AOTD)

Jealousy in the Office (Saw)

One Man's Worst Week is One Man's Greatest Rescue (13RW, this is the first fic I ever wrote so it warms my heart that this is still in the top 5!)

5. do you respond to comments? Yes! If I don't respond on AO3 I respond to people on tumblr, as I tend to seek out people in similar fandoms and make the most amazing friends :)

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I meaaaan no spoilers, but In His Father's footsteps will have an angsty but happy ending. I think the angstiest one I've done so far was Runaway Bride (Saw).

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? A release of toxic masculinity (13RW) was a super sweet one to write, and ended quite happily :).

8. do you get hate on fics? Not exactly, but I have been the target of bots (unfortunately).

9. do you write smut? I used to write nothing but smut lmao and about 9/10 of my fics are smutty, but I'm trying to include a bit more plot these days, mainly as I'm not great at writing smut haha.

10. craziest crossover? Uhhh probably Saw x Titanic? It was a bit bizarre haha, but I did do a 13RW x Circus thing which was also super fun to write.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge, I really hope I haven't!

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Someone asked to translate one of my Squid Games fics into a Chinese version, and I was given the link to the page. It was really nice that they asked and showed me the final product :)

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope, but I do theorise/write snippets with friends sometimes!

14. all time favorite ship? Oooooh difficult one. I mean I really have only started getting into it recently but Aethelstan x Osbert from TLK have me gripped even though it's a rarepair, and Charlie and Alex from 13RW are my lifeblood.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Uhhhh there's a few lmao. There's a couple of Saw ones that I really want to get back to, but the inspiration hasn't returned just yet.

16. what are your writing strengths? I would like to say descriptions (imagery wise) and maybe light smut?

17. what are your writing weaknesses? I really struggle with dialogue even though most of my fics are dialogue heavy lmao.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language? I don't mind reading it, but I don't write it myself. There's no particular reason I don't write it, it just hasn't come up.

19. first fandom you wrote in? 13 Reasons Why! And it helped me through a really rough patch in my life, so I'll always be intensely thankful for the people I met at that time with Chalex (@aeonwing-blog @closetfascination)

20. favorite fic you've written? I have mixed feelings about it, but I really love my FNAF one for the couple, I just felt I rushed the story a bit lol. And maybe it's just because I adore the fandom so much, but my Last Kingdom one has a GRIP on me.

My AO3, in case you're interested in any of this madness:

No pressure tags: @aeonwing-blog @closetfascination @jayalover @book-and-music-lover

@waterfallsilverberrywrites @redacted-thething @lancedoncrimsonwings @cheesyficwriter @persephones-journey @billystoilet

and anyone else that would like to participate!

I've tagged a few of my favourite writers that have been with me through the fandoms, just wanted to say an extra thank you for your works <3

[acourtofthought]

same anon that sent the ask about Needless Suffering ask but your reply just made me realize I'm SOOOO excited for azriel to suffer for gwyn lmao. his chapter made him so icky in my eyes I can't wait for him to grovel and be humbled kfgjn. but you hit the nail on the head of everything I was thinking, especially about lucien!! I think I'm probably too in MY head about gwyn here because I know it truly wouldn't make sense for her to be hurt; it just hurts me to think about I suppose because of all of her trauma being similar to my own. the thought of not being pure or good enough (which is something I've seen e/riel's play up a lot, they've built this entire love triangle that makes gwyn's pain inescapable) for someone because of something that happened to you is just devastating.

I know SJM could absolutely change her mind but NOTHING she's but in any of her recent books have pointed to her doing so. I really appreciate your response, it makes me so excited for the next book. I know a lot of people want it to be azriel's and I wouldn't be mad if it was, but it just makes more sense of it's lucien and elain's book because their story has been building for the longest.

I just want to start by sending you many hugs ❤️ I hope you've got a wonderful support system that's there for whenever you're feeling caught up in the past and I'm hoping any bad days are strongly outnumbered by the good ❤️

And thank you for the follow up message, it's always nice to share in a little back and forth.

I truly don't think you need to worry about a negative outcome for Gwyn. I realize SJM doesn't always dedicate the appropriate time to a SA survivors healing (as in the case with Rhys and Lucien though maybe we'll get a little more of Lucien's processing of his own SA), though that is sometimes the norm in fantasy series but she's not done a survivor wrong yet. Rhys ended up happy and loved and cherished and considering this was a huge focus of Gwyn's backstory (whereas characters like Rhys and Lucien tend to have their SA overshadowed by the other things happening to them), I am even more confident that Gwyn is not going to be used as a plot device to boost another ship. She is not going to be a villain. She is not going to be written as the one keeping Az from his "one true love".

I do agree that Elucien's book would make more sense because Lucien has suffered a huge amount when it comes to the mating bond, it feels like it's time and Elain does deserve to finally have a voice in this series (rather than everyone assuming what it is she's thinking).

As far as Az, I do think he needs to suffer a bit. Him being mad because he didn't get a bond or the girl he wanted (Mor) isn't really Az reaching a low point in my opinion. Not when you think about the stuff the others have gone through since the start of the series (the sisters being kidnapped and changed into a new species, the death of their father, various traumas, domestic violence for Feyre and Lucien, Lucien's brothers trying to kill him (AGAIN😂) losing their homes, etc).

If Az were to get a fulfilled bond in the next book, it will almost be like SJM rewarding his bad behavior.

In SF he still isn't over Mor completely and lusted after Elain. He's also insanely jealous of Lucien, letting that jealously cloud his judgement to the point that he's bitter when having to ask Lucien for help with IC business, claiming he's not good enough for Elain, and not blinking over the thought of causing him physical harm.

I think for Az to truly be humbled, he needs to see Elain and Lucien happy together and to make peace with that (not even because of Elain, at this point it's really about his bitterness towards Lucien) and then he'll be deserving of Gwyn. Something about Az being so cold towards Lucien in ACOFAS / SF then Az getting rewarded with his mate in the very next book (while Lucien still suffers) and him being nice to Lucien because he finally got his own bond doesn't sit right with me. It's like a 13 year old child throwing a temper tantrum because they didn't get presents at a siblings birthday party and only behaving once you promise to buy them a present too even though it's not their birthday. The lesson only means something once the child learns to sit through the siblings birthday party with a positive attitude without getting gifts themselves, that just because someone else is getting something doesn't mean they automatically do too. And at that point and with that lesson learned, where he can feel happiness for what someone like Lucien has despite not getting it himself, he is then worthy of his own bond with Gwyn. She deserves better than to be Az's "tantrum reward".

But even if SJM sees it differently and Elucien isn't next, I have no doubt that Gwyn will not be made to suffer. I'm sure we'll see her stand up to Az and call him out at times but she'll only continue growing and healing in her book, she's not going to be made to suffer to because of the things someone else has going on.